No Silly Business
by boite de crayons
Summary: He was the goof ball of their so called 'cult' and nobody had ever seen her crack a single emotion on her expressionless face. However, after seeing that he was stuck with her for life, he'd do just about anything to make her smile. Embry x OC
1. would it kill her to be happy?

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business _

Summary: He was the goof ball of their so called 'cult' and nobody had ever seen her crack a single emotion on her monotone face. However, after seeing that he was stuck with her for life, he'd do just about anything to make her smile. Embry x OC

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><p>"<em>God, would it kill her to be happy once in a while?"<em>

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><p>[1]<p>

Beatrice stood diligently at her bus stop as she clutched her history book close to her chest. She started tapping her foot, irritated.

It was 7:05 am. And the bus was supposed to be here exactly fifteen minutes ago…

She sighed, looking over at her friend who was offering her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sure it'll be here soon…"

She shook her head, "yeah, _right_. I'm surprised you're here though, doesn't Jared usually give you a ride?"

Her friend blushed, fidgeting with her shirt, "He… was busy."

Beatrice rolled her eyes, not understanding how even saying her best friend's _boyfriend's_ name could have such an effect.

"Kim, you're red," she stated, "and I'm late."

Kim blinked, "Why does it matter? Do you have a test today?"

Beatrice sighed again, "No- but we're learning about the French revolution today and getting assigned projects in history class so I'd rather not be late. Gosh, where is that stupid bus driver?"

Kim shrugged, watching her friend glance at her watch every few seconds. She knew Beatrice loved history but that was just it; even after she thought she was spending too much time with Jared Beatrice would say that she didn't even notice her absence. It was strange - weren't best friends supposed to miss each other?

"Kim, your boyfriend is here."

She snapped out of her thoughts and immediately smiled as Jared called her, offering her a ride. She was about to go when she glanced at her friend, who was staring straight past Jared's car, and stopped.

"Bea, you wanna ride?"

Beatrice looked at the car, then at the empty road that lay ahead, then at the car again. She contemplated for a few moments and nodded, thanking her friend in the process.

Kim sat next to Jared and Beatrice was in the back seat, awkwardly staring out the window as the other two held hands while discussing about their schedules. She zoned them out, focusing on how the trees blurred into a giant blob of green as the car zoomed by dozens of tall trees.

About another fifteen minutes later, they reached high school. After Jared parked the car she quickly hopped out and fled towards the building, not even saying bye to her friend 'cause Beatrice knew that in the presence of Jared, Kim didn't pay attention to anyone else, including Beatrice herself - which was okay. And so, she ran down the hallway instead trying not to be late for first period.

Kim however, hadn't even gotten out of the car when she turned around and saw her friend dash for her class. She sighed.

"Is she always like this?" asked Jared, cocking his head at Beatrice's direction.

Kim put on her backpack, "yeah, school is _very _important for Bea."

Jared rolled his eyes, "Whatever. She could've said thank you though."

Kim smiled, silently agreeing with her boyfriend. She knew Beatrice for ages but couldn't help but feel as if their friendship was lingering. It irked her. She was always busy with Jared as Bea with school.

It suddenly made her think: when _was_ the last time they had hung out together?

She tried to remember but no answer came forth.

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><p><em>1789 - The beginning of the French revolution, <em>Beatrice wrote in her notebook as the header for the new unit.

Turns out, she had slid into her seat seconds before the first bell rang. Thanking her good luck, she dropped her three #2 pencils onto her desk and placed her water bottle at the very edge. She was ready to take notes, lots of notes.

By the end of class, she had taken about seven pages of notes (front _and _back) and was currently convincing her teacher that she was perfectly capable of doing the assigned project by herself.

"Beatrice, I know you are a top student but are you _sure_ you want to do this project by yourself? Having a partner would be… much needed," said her teacher, who was flipping through text book pages.

"Yes Ma'am, I can definitely do this project single handedly, trust me," she replied, confident of her skills.

Her teacher sighed, "… fine. You may do this project by yourself but may I remind you: I will not grade lightly."

She nodded, waltzing out of the class and making her way towards her locker. She did, however, hear some snarky comments made by her lovely classmates.

"_Did you hear? That goody-two shoes convinced Ms. Plum that she could do the project by herself." _

"_What? That sucks - there goes my chance for an easy A." _

"_I know, right? Who wouldn't want to be paired up with her?"_

"_Oh please, I certainly wouldn't. I mean, have you ever even seen her crack a smile? Talk about the lamest partner ever - thank god she's doing this solo." _

"_Yeah, but still… at least it wouldn't kill my grade." _

"_Whatever, I'm sure there are plenty of other nerds that could save our grades."_

She slammed her locker shut, scaring her friend in the process.

"Bea! What's wrong?" Kim asked, looking worried.

Beatrice shrugged, "nothing, why?"

"I - I just thought… never mind," Kim pondered, watching her friend stare back at her with dull eyes and a fairly bored expression.

_Typical Bea. _

"Hey, are you coming to lunch today?" asked Kim, smiling.

"I don't know," Beatrice answered, "I might go to the library to get a head start on the history project - I'm doing it by myself."

Kim nodded, "Okay, well… I hope you come to lunch though; it'll be fun."

She blinked, "Yeah, sure."

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><p>After three periods off classes, Beatrice already had piles of homework due the next day.<p>

She sighed, making her way to the library. If she could even get one-fourth of her homework done, she'd go down to the cafeteria.

It was still surprising though, that Kim had asked whether or not she was free during lunch. After all, she didn't seem to notice the past month that Beatrice hadn't stepped into the lunchroom, let alone actually ate something.

As she got out her binder and pencil case she wondered: was Kim trying to make up for all the times she had forgotten about her?

Who knows, because right now all Beatrice could focus on was her math homework. Thank god it was only simple trigonometry…

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><p>It was 11:34 pm.<p>

Beatrice quickly packed her backpack and dashed for the cafeteria. Dare she say but, she was actually excited for lunch today.

Her lips twitched, threatening to form a smile as she was just about to turn the corner and see her best friend sit at the very end table of the lunchroom, motioning her to join.

_I hope you come to lunch today; it'll be fun. _

She was halfway there when a booming voice halted her steps.

"Kim, are you serious? I hate to hate on your friends but… does she even smile?"

"Embry, she's my best friend. And yes, she _does_."

He laughed, "She's as lively as my pet snail; she's totally gonna kill the mood."

"Em, shut up. You're hurting Kim's feelings," Jared attacked, comforting Kim.

"Oh come on, I'm just sayin' that would it _kill_ her to be happy once in a while? She barely has any emotions."

Beatrice stood still, watching her best friend become more and more agitated while her boyfriend tried to shut up Embry Call from publically embarrassing her. But, of course, it was too late. The whole cafeteria heard (and probably agreed) on what he had to say about her.

She lowered her head, frozen at her spot, while everyone finally noticed her existence.

"Oh no, Bea…"

Her gaze met Kim's (who was close to tears) while her cold eyes penetrated past her and her boyfriend's cult. The last person she looked at was Embry; with her blank expression and dull eyes that made it clear how emotionless she could be.

Unnerved, she turned around and walked away, unaware that the person who had humiliated her couldn't take his eyes off her retreating back…

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><p>AN note:

Wow, I guess this has officially begun, haha. I actually have no idea why I wrote this but the idea of the story wouldn't leave me alone as I was writing _another_ chapter for my other twilight fic.

So, this is just a sneak peek into Bea's character and her current relationship with Kim (which seems strained at the moment) but, Embry will soon become a major character :D yay ~! Oh, and do forgive any grammar mistakes you see here and there ^^

So… stay tuned for more? hehe R&R


	2. his smiles tell all

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

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><p><em>His smiles tell all <em>

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><p>[2]<p>

"Bea - Bea wait!"

Beatrice increased her strutted pace down the hallway as she could hear her best friend scramble after her. The sound of her shoes repeatedly tapped against the tiled floor, followed by the sound of running footsteps.

"Bea, stop!"

She took a quick turn and entered the girls' bathroom, quietly listening to the sound of footsteps catching up to her until they skid to a stop. Kim had caught her.

"Bea, oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know Embry would do that and -

"It's okay, Kim. I'm fine," Beatrice interrupted, staring at the bathroom sink.

Kim blanched, "No, no… It's _not _okay. Embry made _fun _of you and as your best friend I should have stopped him."

_Ah, but you didn't._

"Gosh, Bea, if only I could take back what he had said…"

_But you can't._

"Please, please forgive me… and Embry. He didn't know what he was saying and now… now he's stuck too. Bea… you will forgive him, right?"

The bell suddenly interrupted them, signaling for the period to end. The hallways soon got crowded as Kim and Beatrice stood motionless in the girls' bathroom - neither one knowing what to do next.

Beatrice cleared her throat, "Kim, I'm going to be late to class."

Kim stared at her for a few moments before moving out of her path, trying to hold back tears as girls were beginning to fill the bathroom.

Beatrice swiftly walked past her friend; throwing away her unopened lunch in the process and managing her way through the hallways and into her next class.

If she was lucky, she could make it to her seat before the gut-wrenching rumors and hot gossip spread amongst the students about what Embry Call had to say.

As soon as class started she stared at the board, trying to focus on the frame story that was written so brilliantly in the novel _Wuthering Heights_. However, even the in-depth English session couldn't stop her from hearing the whispers that were floating about the room.

"_Hey - did you hear? Embry Call totally called out this chick during lunch today."_

"_No way, I heard he practically rejected her; rumor has it that this wannabe confessed her love towards him." _

"_Nah - both you guys are wrong. I heard that Embry and his cult have picked their next target (whoever this chick is) and she's gonna need some serious protection from now on." _

"… _What's the chick's name though?"_

"_God knows, heck, she could even be in this class right now." _

"_Yeah or she could've ran home crying her freakin' eyes out." _

Beatrice slammed her pencil down against her desk and grabbed her water bottle, quickly gulping down liquid as she tried to calm herself.

For all anybody knew Beatrice was never emotional. She was never nerved or trembling at given moment or situation. But hearing ridiculous news about how Embry Call was set to ruin her life, she couldn't help but feel a pit in her stomach that was ready to burst at any given time.

Staring at the clock and back, she realized the only way she could make it through the day without an emotional breakdown was to focus on her school work. And she would - she would _force _herself too even if it meant listening to this silly nonsense the rest of the day.

She slumped back into her seat, attempting to survive.

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><p>Embry Call couldn't sit still.<p>

During the past ten minutes he had been dragged out of cafeteria by his friends and was shaking like crazy. He was currently outside, bordering the woods as his friends huddled around him, arguing on something he couldn't focus on.

"_He's gonna turn any moment now - we've gotta tell Sam." _

While they stood out in the cold weather, Embry wanted nothing more than to rip apart - tear away all his barriers and roam free. The smell of the woods was enticing him.

However, it was her face that kept him shell-shocked. He couldn't stop imagining the way her short hair stuck to her face as her framed glasses sneakily hid her feminine features.

Everything about her; the way she smelled to the way she had blatantly stared at him seemed to hook his heart and pull his core.

He felt the world turn 180 degrees, remembering the way she had walked out of the cafeteria. The way she had clutched her textbooks. The way she had stood perfectly still in the middle of the room with all eyes on center. The way her red shirt beamed brightly against her slightly tan skin.

Every. Single. Little. Thing. became engraved in his mind and was replaying over and over again in slow motion.

He took a deep breath, shaking even more as he burst into a quick sprint.

"_Hey!" _

His clothes lay on the floor as his wolf form tore across the forest, howling.

"_Embry, you've got to stop and face it." _

He didn't want to hear them, he didn't care. But he growled in response, confused on what was happening to him. He ran further and faster, ignoring the calls of his pack. He was almost to the edge of their territory before Sam's voice halted him instantly.

"… _You've imprinted Em."_

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><p>Beatrice closed her locker shortly after gathering all the materials she needed for homework. The day was finally over and as quickly as the wild fire had spread about her encounter with Embry, the sooner it had died. In short, she just had a bad day.<p>

"Hey, you ready to leave?"

She glanced to her right to find Kim leaning against the neighboring locker. They both had somehow gotten past their awkwardness with each other and were talking like friends again.

Beatrice put on her jacket while asking, "Aren't you going with Jared today? I mean, you usually ride home with him instead of taking the bus."

Kim blinked, "Yeah, he… got caught up in some unexpected business."

Beatrice nodded while putting on her backpack. As the two friends wandered out to the buses Beatrice spotted Jared's car in the parking lot and glanced at Kim.

_Were they fighting? _

It was weird - Kim hadn't gone home with her on the bus since she started dating Jared. Or maybe her friend just felt guilty about what had happened during lunch today and was trying to make up for it. Beatrice sighed. Either way, at least she got her friend back for some time.

They ended up sitting in the very front of the bus, crowded by dozens of other kids. Beatrice was so squished against the window that she couldn't even move her arm. It was raining again and she could hear the delicate 'whoosh' sound the wind made whenever the bus increased its speed.

As the raindrops slowly slide across the glass window she heard a distinctive wolf howl - it was loud and resonated in her ears for a while. Kim sighed simultaneously, leaning against Beatrice for support.

"Wolves shouldn't be howling at 3 pm," Beatrice stated, staring out the window.

Kim coughed, "I'm sure they're preoccupied with something too."

And with that the conversation dully ended yet Kim couldn't stop fidgeting. She was already clutching her phone tightly, waiting to get a text message or a phone call from Jared. As far as she knew, Bea was now attached by an invisible string of fate to Embry Call.

_I can't believe he imprinted on my best friend. _

Kim sighed again, "Bea… you'll forgive Embry, right?"

"Does it matter?" Bea replied, shrugging.

Kim bit her lips, "Well… It's just that he's a bit silly sometimes - I mean, he's a complete goofball but he's easy to get along with, you know? He's a good guy."

Beatrice didn't reply back immediately. She was still intrigued by the weather outside and couldn't care to hear what her friend was saying about Embry but it still perplexed her. Why was her best friend defending the guy who had insulted her?

"I don't need to understand him Kim," Bea said, watching the gray storm clouds roll by, "as far as I'm concerned, everybody knows his smiles tell all."

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><p>Embry put on his pair of shorts as a ridiculous grin etched his face. His pack had also changed back to their human forms and was now teasing him about his dilemma.<p>

"Dude, you're screwed," Jared said, smirking.

Embry quirked his eyebrow, "How?"

Everybody around him chuckled but Paul was the one that answered.

"Because Beatrice isn't the type of chick that is going to just melt in front of you - hell, she's not even your type."

Embry smiled softly, thinking: _she's better than my type - she's perfect_.

His pack made their way to Emily's house for some food yet for the first time Embry didn't have an appetite. All he wanted to do was to see _her_. His thoughts were drifting back to when he first laid eyes on her when Jared interrupted him.

"So how are you going to apologize?"

Embry blinked, "what?"

"You know - you said some really harsh things about her during lunch," explained Jared.

Embry frowned. What had he said about her?

_Oh come on, I'm just sayin' that would it kill her to be happy once in a while? _

He cursed, remembering the situation.

_She barely has any emotions. _

He slammed his fists onto the table, shaking. What hurt more was the fact that he felt guilty. He felt sick to his stomach - if she was crying right now it would all be _his _fault. He groaned as his heart slightly ached to see her.

More importantly, what was he going to do?

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><p>AN: Well, this was a fast chapter XD sorry for any grammar mistakes and such but I kind of wrote this quicker than I expected to. It's all because I've gotten so many story alerts and some fantastic reviews that I was motivated to just write, write, and write as much as I could. Haha.

Yeah,and sorry if the ending seemed a bit… rushed. And Embry sounds like he's having mood swings right now but what can I say? He just imprinted on the girl he bad-mouthed. Oh, silly boys.

Anyways, I do hope you review because reviews keep me motivated :D and if you have time, do check out my other twilight fic called _Bottles of Hue. _

Oh, and a lot of people have been wondering what's wrong with Bea; well, I think she's pretty much like her normal self, I mean she _is_ a bit emotionless/dull right now but hopefully Embry will change that :P

Wow, this is a really long author's note. I'd actually be surprised if you made it this far :) R&R ~!


	3. act like an ice princess

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

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><p><em>Act like an Ice princess<em>

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><p>[3]<p>

Beatrice stepped off the bus and started walking towards her house. Kim was trailing behind her as both friends walked silently in the dreary weather. Kim's house came first though (her friend waved her goodbye as she walked towards her garage to punch in the password).

Beatrice had yet another ten minute walk before she reached her house, which looked like a small cabin that had a garage. Luckily for her the house had a 2nd floor too.

As soon as she entered the main door, the smell of something sweet invaded her senses. She dropped her backpack near the stairs and kicked off her shoes, wanting to know where that delicious smell was coming from. Trailing the scent it led to her kitchen where her lovely mother was baking cookies.

"Hello sweetheart, you came just in time; I took out the cookies from oven the moment you opened the door," said her mom, taking off her apron.

"Smells good," Beatrice replied, eyeing the tray of chocolate chip cookies that lay in front of her.

Her mom chuckled, "And they taste good too - your brother is in the backyard grilling up dinner by the way. I have the night shift at work today so he'll be here for a while."

Her mom was a nurse at the local hospital but since La Push barely had any people, she was constantly being called in to work at whatever shifts were available - today, it was the night shift.

"Alright, be careful mom," Beatrice said, grabbing one cookie. Her mom hugged her goodbye before grabbing her bag to leave.

After her mother left, Beatrice took a napkin along with her bitten cookie outside to where her brother was; she found him wearing his chef uniform as he was grilling burgers while listening to some rock music.

"Hey Ty," she said, grabbing a seat.

Her brother turned around with a spatula in his hand, "Hey Bea, you ready for some blazin' burgers?"

She rolled her eyes, "I'm vegetarian."

Her brother smirked, "Which is why I'm grilling some _veggie_ burgers right now. God, I don't know how you survive."

She scoffed, "Being vegetarian? It's not that hard after you've seen how animals are slaughtered."

Ty held his arms up, acting guilty, "alright, alright - just don't lecture me again."

Beatrice was never really fond of meat; something about it had always turned off her appetite. Besides, she loved vegetables and it made cooking for her mom much easier. Her brother Ty was also a chef at a really popular diner in Seattle but he occasionally came home to whip up something mouth watering. Today, he was just babysitting her.

"How was school?" Ty asked while flipping burgers.

"It was fine."

They stayed silent after that, the sound of rock music and sizzling burgers filled up the quietness for a few minutes. However it was Ty that decided to spark up a new conversation.

"Bea, what's wrong?"

She took the last bite of her cookie, mumbling, "nothing."

Her brother whipped around, suddenly pointing the spatula at her while stating, "Liar. You know I can read you like an open book. Tell me, did something happen?"

She didn't know how he did it but Ty always knew when she wasn't feeling happy or content. It was like he was psychic or something; it made it useless for her to hide her feelings.

"… Embry Call decided to announce to the entire lunchroom today that I was a bore."

Her brother gave her a look, "Embry who? He sounds familiar… wait a minute - was he the kid that used to scribble all over the walls in preschool then break all his crayons after words?"

She shrugged.

"Yeah, it had to be that punk. I remember because we upperclassmen had to always clean up after you guys. That damn kid, he made us practically scrape the wall clean after his art disasters."

She blinked, "Ty… what are you _exactly_ trying to say?"

"I'm saying that this dude is just messed up. Look Bea, as your big brother I could come and beat him up for you but I know you can handle yourself just fine. You're like an ice princess."

Beatrice crinkled her nose, annoyed, "_What_?"

Her brother plated the burgers, "I mean, you know how to shut people up just by one look. Basically, act like an ice princess and he'll be confused out of his mind."

Beatrice stared at her brother - Ty always gave her the weirdest advice but today he called her an emotionless person (princess, actually) and expected her to use that to her advantage in getting revenge on the guy who bad mouthed her?

… _Boys are stupid_

Thankfully for her, her brother was a chef and not a counselor. After eating her dinner and cleaning up, Beatrice went upstairs to do her homework while her brother chilled in the living room.

The rest of night went according to her daily routine: homework, shower, and sleep. Hopefully, she prayed, tomorrow would go smoothly as well…

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><p>When Beatrice arrived to the bus stop the next day it became clear that everything was back to a normal routine because Kim wasn't there. Knowing her best friend, she had probably gotten a ride from her boyfriend which left Beatrice all alone in the front seat of the bus.<p>

After a 15 minute ride she stepped off the bus and headed towards the main door of the school. Entering the heated building, she took multiple turns before reaching the hallway where her locker was located.

Everything was going according to plan except near her locker stood a well-known, hilarious, and somewhat gorgeous looking boy who had the pleasure of mocking her yesterday.

_Embry call._

Beatrice sighed. She wasn't fazed by him, she never was… but why was he conveniently there? Something felt wrong about all of this but her expression was remained dull; she didn't really care much or at least she made it _look_ like she didn't care.

So, she calmly walked towards her locker and started entering her combination. Luckily his back was turned around but as soon as the locker clinked open he whipped his head towards her direction. She couldn't see his expression because she kept the locker door between him and herself. However, that didn't stop him from opening his mouth.

"Beatrice! Hey, I… uh… I wanted to talk to you."

She took out her lunch bag from her backpack, replying, "Hmm."

"Yeah, look, I just wanted to say I'm really, really, _really _sorry about what I said yesterday. It was very rude and I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. I was just… being an idiot.," he stated. Even though she probably thought Kim set him up for this apology there was still something sincere in his voice - it was as if he actually felt guilt and sorrow. It was weird.

"It's fine. I don't really care," she mumbled. Her backpack was filled with materials that she needed for the morning classes however it couldn't occupy the textbooks that she usually carried. Ignoring Embry, she shut her locker and attempted to put on her backpack while carrying her ridiculous textbooks.

"Hey, let me help you with that; those textbooks look heavy," he offered, instinctively reaching to grab the books that seemed to be wobbling in her hands. However, as soon as his fingers barely graced the cover of her books, her backpack hit him. She had swung her backpack in a way that he couldn't touch her but it also made a notion that clearly meant: _back off_.

"I can handle myself," she whispered as she turned around and walked off in the opposite direction. Embry was left rather flabbergasted by the notion, not knowing what do to do after her sudden departure.

_Beatrice isn't the type of chick that is going to just melt in front of you_

He sighed, realizing that not once had she even _looked_ at him. She didn't want anything to do with him. But… somewhere in his mind he was content on watching her back from afar as she strutted off, leaving him with barely anytime to respond.

He needed to get to know her better first, break down all her barriers before admitting his dirty secret.

_I'm a werewolf _

He grimaced, not even wanting to think how he was going to tell her _that_. But, somehow, the thought of her cute little face and her messy hair made him believe it would be okay.

This imprinting situation would be okay… hopefully.

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><p>AN: well, what'd ya think? :P I know it's a short chapter but looking at the hectic week that lies ahead for me… it was the best I could do. ^^

Embry and Bea spoke to each other! :D yay! Haha, obviously Embry will have to work very hard in order to win over Bea because she just doesn't want to deal with him.

Also, you got a sneak peek into what Bea's family life is like; she's close to her brother, Ty, and isn't _that _emotionless but she is more responsive around her family. :) And I hope you like Ty 'cause he shall be coming back soon.

Review… please? I'm still amazed at how many people actually _like _this story because honestly, I wasn't even considering to post it on fanfic but my friend (yes, shout out to Bambi!) somehow was like 'no - go for it!' and yeah so… all props go to her, haha.

R&R


	4. just don't rush into things

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

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><p><em>Just don't rush into things<em>

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><p>[4]<p>

Embry walked into his classroom later than usual but all he had to do was give his teacher a silly, goofy and memorizing grin to get away with the fact that he was tardy. And as usual, his teacher bought his enduring behavior.

He slid into his seat, not bothering to pay attention to the intensive physics lesson that was playing before his eyes. Frankly, he didn't care about the concept of when something was in free fall, it was weightless.

He sighed, leaning back into his seat. He closed his eyes to find himself seeing Beatrice in his mind. Her eyes were sparkling and her lips were twitching to smile. _This _was the way he wanted to see her- blissfully happy. Yet, doubt was beginning to linger as he remembered their morning encounter.

_I can handle myself_

She had completely rejected him; or maybe he was just over analyzing this situation but he couldn't help it - she pulled his heart strings by just one look. His thoughts were engraved with her but they vanished very quickly as he felt something whack him against the back of his head. His eyes flew open.

"You're zoning out, lover boy," Quil stated, smirking.

Embry rubbed the back of his neck, "You could've just tapped my shoulder."

Quil shrugged, "There's no fun in that."

Embry glared at him, not noticing how students around him were watching his every move. Quil kept teasing him about his situation as others around them never quite understood what they were saying - it was as if this was all an inside joke.

Embry released a frustrated sigh, "Would you just shut up, Quil? I get it, it's funny how I embarrassed her and now I'm the one suffering."

Quil tilted his head, "I thought the point to imprinting was to _end_ one's suffering?"

"I guess so, it's just…" Embry trailed off, remembering the way Beatrice had brushed him off earlier. He froze, looking slightly sad.

Quil clicked his pen, trying to understand why the usual class clown was acting like a Debbie downer today. Sure, Em had imprinted on a rather boring girl but he never had as many mood swings as he did in this class period today - it was weird. Quil knew he had to help his friend; otherwise this situation would be hopeless.

"Talk to Kim."

Embry blinked, "what?"

"Talk to Kim - I mean, isn't she like best friends with Beatrice or something? Just chat with her and you'll automatically get closer to your future lady."

Embry let Quil's words sink in before realization dawned him; his eyes dilated and a silly smile slowly etched him face. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Obviously, if he used Kim then Beatrice would surely follow her closest friend - it was all beginning to make sense now as countless ideas filled his brain while he created a short term goal: _become friends with Beatrice_. After that was achieved, everything would become a smooth landing.

"Problem solved, man. Oh, and look, I know my plan is absolutely brilliant but watch out for Jared. He might actually kill you if he finds out that you're spending a little _too _much time with his girl," Quil warned.

Embry scoffed, ignoring Quil's little worry about Jared. Heck, Jared could come at him if he wanted too but that didn't really matter - Embry _knew_ what he had to do to get closer with Beatrice now.

He'd have to track down Kim, regardless of the consequences.

* * *

><p>Kim had barely walked out of her classroom before being hauled somewhere else. Strong arms had grabbed her and before she had time to react, Embry had blurted out a little tangent about how he needed help with Beatrice. Her head was still fuzzy from the assault but she managed to mumble some well thought advice.<p>

"Embry, Bea doesn't like pesky people. I'm sure she has forgiven you and was just running late to class this morning - after all, she does love school. Give it some time and she'll warm up to you eventually; just don't rush into things."

Embry groaned, "Come on, Kim. This is Beatrice we're talking about and besides, things went smoothly for you and Jared because you were _already_ in love with him from the beginning."

A blush spread across her face as Embry said that. Yes, she had been practically head-over-heels for Jared since middle school but that didn't mean they had no problems.

She sighed, "Alright Em, what do _you _want?"

Embry smirked, "I need your help in getting closer to Beatrice. Like, I need to know what she likes and dislikes so I can impress her with all that but _you're _going to help because you've practically known her since birth."

"Yeah, I know her really well but you should be the one finding out what she likes or dislikes, you should be the one getting to know her as a person. Em, I can't just tell you everything about my best friend - what would she think?" argued Kim.

Embry replied, "Look, I know this all seems pretty shady but she doesn't even look at me. Don't get me wrong, I'm good with the ladies and all but Beatrice is just different. I… I don't know what to do; I don't know how to deal with her."

"Embry, I know Beatrice isn't a very social person but she has feelings as well."

Embry snapped, "I know! But I will never get to see her true feelings if she keeps on dodging me or running away - I _really_ need your help Kim. Please?"

Kim blinked. Embry was hell-bent on getting closer to Beatrice but at the same time, he was using her as a tool. This was wrong though, if Beatrice or Jared somehow found out about this predicament all trust would be lost.

_Come on, Kim. This is Beatrice we're talking about_

She looked at Embry (who was staring at her with puppy dog eyes while waiting for her response) and froze. She wanted her best friend to be happy and Embry was a good guy yet…

"Fine, I'll help."

* * *

><p>Beatrice stood in front of her locker, slowly cranking in her combination. She had forgotten her history spiral in her locker so she had to take history notes in her math spiral and now everything was disorganized.<p>

The locker clinked open as the rest of her materials inside it fell out. She closed her eyes, frustrated. Loose-leaf papers and pens were flying out of her locker and spilling across the hallway floor. Not to mention, she only had a few minutes left before the bell rang, declaring her tardy. She quickly grabbed her pile of stuff and shoved it inside her locker, not even bothering to organize it.

The number of students in the hallway was decreasing, leaving her to be paranoid. Would she be late? If so, would she have to get a detention or have her perfect high school transcript tainted by her lack of management? Countless worries filled her up with anxiety and she quickly sprinted down the hallway after collecting the proper materials she had originally needed.

Cursing, she blamed him. Yes, _him._ It was all his fault anyway - why was he even at her locker in the first place? Because of him, she had to rush in the morning and forgot her most needed spiral. Because of him, her locker was now a junkyard for loose papers and bent spirals. Because of him, she was practically running to her next class while carrying a gigantic backpack filled with useless stuff. And because of him, she would be late.

On the other hand, Beatrice was never dramatic or over-the-top but the fact that she was screaming at Embry Call in the back of her head while sprinting down hallways made something very clear to her.

Luckily for Beatrice, the moment her two feet stepped inside the classroom the bell rung simultaneously. Her face stayed stoic but her heart was beating like crazy as she settled her slightly panicked self into her seat.

Catching her breath, she once again remembered what she had promised to do while running down those long hallways:

_No matter what, stray away from Embry Call_

Oh, and she would. As far as she was concerned, that idiot was just bad news and also caused her to have a slightly bumpy day. This was something she could _not_ tolerate; her schedule is supposed to be followed reportedly without any hassles. Regardless, she knew she didn't want anything to do with him at all - not now, not ever.

* * *

><p>AN:

… And let the plot roll ~ to be honest, I have no idea where I'm going with this but I hope you'll be patient. Beatrice is stubborn and Embry is love struck, what are ya gonna do? Hope for sparks to fly? XD

However, now that Kim has joined Embry's 'scheme' without Jared or Bea knowing, who knows what's gonna happen. But, I'm already planning the next chapter and let me say that it's quite fun indeed. :P

Sorry for any grammatical mistakes and overall, let me know what you think. Like it? hate it? have an issue with Bea? Just review your heart out and give me some feedback :)

And shout-out to 'cherry-888' your comment made me laugh XD and yes, she would be very scary, even I would be scared of Beatrice's anger but hopefully Embry can handle it. He is a big bad wolf after all :3


	5. you're too thin

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>You're too thin<em>

* * *

><p>[5]<p>

Beatrice sat in her desk, comfortably doodling on the edges of her notebook. Yeah, she was a studious person but German was her easiest class. In fact, she could sleep through that class and still manage to pass within in the top 10% of her entire grade level. She was skilled - everyone knew _that_.

The teacher, however, didn't seem to like her very much. Something about 'not trying' and 'passing without effort' made Beatrice unappealing. It was okay though, she was used to a lot of people not liking her.

"_God, she isn't even paying attention and still acing this stupid class - why doesn't that work for me in history?" _

"_Haven't you heard? She's like some sort of genius or something." _

"_Ugh, this is so not fair. I work my butt off but she still gets all the benefits of being smart…" _

"_Well, at least we can all agree and say that we're much more socially adequate than her."_

"_Oh please, my social status would crush hers any day."_

"_I know, right? I bet she has like, no friends."_

"_Pfftt. Or boyfriends." _

"_The day she gets a boyfriend is the day I will strip naked in the lunchroom."_

"_Ewww! And who'd be willing to date that bore?" _

The whispers around her grew louder as her doodles began to take over her notes. The drawings were everywhere, flowing from the bottom of the page to the edges where they scattered across the top. Her notes were completely ruined now - she didn't care. She never needed them anyway.

However, that didn't stop the teacher from shushing the whole class and purposely picking on her to demand an answer for whatever she was asking.

"Beatrice - can you please translate this sentence?" Her teacher snapped, pointing her chalk to the neat sentence that stood beside her.

Beatrice sighed, "Translating from German to English, the sentence would say: After school the boy went to the grocery store to help his mother pick out ingredients for dinner."

The class was suddenly quiet as they watched their teacher stiffly smile before responding, "… good, as always of course. Nice to see you know vocabulary we haven't even _learned _yet."

Beatrice didn't flinch or even blink while her teacher shuffled through papers, trying to find something to teach the class or trying to find something that would challenge her personally. It wouldn't matter though - she couldn't teach and Beatrice knew German from her heart. This whole situation was pointless.

Luckily for her the bell rang, signaling the permanent end to third period.

As students rushed out she slowly packed her stuff and then treaded to her locker, only to find her best friend standing there with her boyfriend.

Kim's cheeks were glowing pink as Jared casually leaned in to whisper something. They were in their own world, making it easy for Beatrice to slip past them and open her locker. It wasn't until she slammed her locker shut that Kim's eyes noticed her.

"Oh, Bea! Come on, have lunch with us today."

Beatrice stared at the floor, "No thank you."

Kim frowned, "Bea, don't be like this. We always had lunch together before and you need to eat too."

Beatrice blinked, "Kim, I don't come to lunch anymore because I can get a lot of homework done at the library. And besides, I'd be intruding on you and Jared."

"You wouldn't be intruding - you're Kim's friend therefore you're my friend. Come on girl, lunch time is fun time!" Jared stated, wrapping his arm around Kim's waist.

… _I don't want to be your friend_

"Nope. I'll pass."

_Or get anywhere near your friends_

Beatrice turned around and was going to walk away before arms latched onto her, dragging her back.

"Bea, please? It'll be just like old times," Kim whispered, hugging her friend. She knew Beatrice was stubborn but she also knew that Embry was depending on her right now. She needed to get Beatrice to lunch so they could talk. Or at least try to manage a somewhat decent conversation.

"Kim, let go."

She shook her head, "Not until you say yes."

Beatrice sighed, "Stop acting like you're five years old. I said let go, I don't want to eat lunch."

"And why not?"

_Because I don't want to sit with them_

"Because I need to finish up my schoolwork," Beatrice mumbled. Kim was making a scene, latching onto her while her boyfriend watched with slight amusement. It was too much for her to handle; her day was already bad but this… this was just plain stupid.

"Will you have lunch with me, Bea?" Kim asked, once again.

_Say no. _

_No._

_No._

_No._

_No_

_No._

"… fine."

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well - look who decided to grace us today with their humble presence," Quil boomed, smirking as he watched Beatrice slump in her seat.<p>

Their table was large but she sat next to Kim, trying to seclude herself but Embry wouldn't allow it. He was sitting right across from her, practically glowing in her presence. What a happy dog he was…

"Hey."

Beatrice took out her sandwich, avoiding eye contact with anyone that sat near her.

"Hey."

She took one bite, relishing the taste of peanut butter in her mouth.

"Hey!"

She blinked, realizing Embry was trying to chat with her. She swallowed, "… hi."

"So, how was your day?"

She shrugged in response, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"That's good. I heard you have super hard classes this year though - how are they treating you?"

And _now_ was the point where she started to ignore him. In fact, all she wanted was to quietly eat her lunch and leave so she could escape to the library. But Embry Call was once again ruining everything.

Kim coughed, "Anyways, how's that history project coming along, Bea? I heard it was tedious."

Beatrice nodded, "It's fine - I finished it already."

The conversation simply ended, leaving a wave of awkward silence at the table. Nobody really knew what to do now but Beatrice had already finished her lunch and was getting ready to leave.

"Whoa - hold on a second, you're done?" Embry asked, watching her put on her backpack.

She didn't reply back so Kim spoke for her, "Yeah, Bea just finished eating Em. Didn't you notice?"

"Yeah, I did. I think you need to eat some more though- what was that? A sandwich and a piece of string cheese isn't going to last you an entire day. You're too _thin,_" Embry declared, his voice becoming louder and louder as he spoke.

Kim had noticed the change though; it was in his voice and in his demeanor. He was upset; upset that Beatrice was not acknowledging him and had hardly ate anything. But at the same time this was typical Beatrice behavior - he needed to accept that.

"Em, Bea is perfectly healthy," Kim said, folding her hands in her lap.

Embry stood up, slamming his hands onto the table (this, unfortunately, also gathered the attention of the entire cafeteria as well) and declared, "No - she isn't. She doesn't talk or eat. Beatrice, you need to sit down and stop fretting over your freakin' classes. You need to _chill_, have some fun."

Beatrice could feel her lips quivering. All eyes were on her again and something in her mind snapped. How dare he? How dare he question her health then rudely comment about her classes. So what? So what if she would rather study than eat like a pig? She was still perfectly normal.

"Beatrice, where are you going?"

She stopped in her tracks before replying, "I needed to get some homework done anyways. Don't worry, I don't exactly enjoy your company either, _Embry_. Now if you would, please excuse me."

* * *

><p>AN:

… that went well. XD oh Embry, the poor boy needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. At least we got some sort of interaction ~ yay? Haha, let me know what you think. ^^

Oh, and thank you for all the lovely story alerts! I would appreciate reviews as well :P But you guys are awesome!

And if you guys are curious (since the setting of this story does take place in school a lot) here's Bea's class schedule:

1 - History

2 - Math

3 - German

4 - Lunch

5 - English

6 - Physics

7 - Astronomy

8 - Gym

I'll put Embry's schedule up next time if any of you guys want to see it ~

Time for questions! **suzie1107**: first of all, thank you for reviewing dear :3 I'd like to say that I think Jared would not be happy with Embry using Kim to get to Bea (wow, that's confusing) because I feel like he's very protective of her (this being an 'imprint' thing) and there is the blunt fact the Embry is _using _Kim to… well, get closer to his destined one. :) And I also think that Jared would be jealous if Kim was spending time with Embry so… that's my answer! I hope that makes sense. XD

Haha, R&R ~


	6. focus on calm thoughts

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Focus on calm thoughts<em>

* * *

><p>[6]<p>

Embry's vision began to blur as he stared at Beatrice's retreating back. She had quickly shuffled out of the cafeteria after what had happened but everything around him seemed to freeze.

He zoned out Kim's cry and Quil's rambling to find himself petrified at his spot - there he was, standing with his hands glued onto the table as his breathing increased with each second. His legs were shaking and his eyes had dilated yet he could feel someone trying to yank him from his spot but he wouldn't budge.

Most of all, he heard her voice. Her quiet, gentle yet firm voice.

_Embry_

… She said his name for the first time and it made something in his blood boil.

_Embry_

_Embry_

_Embry_

"Embry!" Jared hissed, pulling his T-shirt roughly. He budged a little but was still stuck in some sort of trance. It wasn't until Quil pinched his sides that he snapped out of his daze.

"Dude, focus!"

Embry blinked, "… wha?"

Jared yanked his shirt, making him sit down instantly, "You need to calm down wise guy, you're shaking like crazy."

Embry slowly gripped the table, "I… I need to shift, Jared."

"I know but you can't, we're in the middle of the lunch room with all eyes on you - you need to control it, Em," Jared replied.

Embry could see his fingers tremble and practically feel his inner wolf begging to come out. He wanted to rip everything into bits and pieces or claw something apart_. _He was now a dog without a leash so god knows what will happen now.

_Embry_

He cursed as his head began to thump louder and louder. Jared still had a good grip on his friend but he could also feel Embry quiver uncontrollably. The cafeteria seemed silent for a few minutes but then the regular chatter soon reappeared as the wolf pack stayed huddled closely together, preoccupied in controlling their friend's nerves.

Embry clenched his teeth, trying to focus on calm thoughts. However, Beatrice kept invading his mind - her voice, her eyes, her hair, everything was crystal clear. It was like she was there… but she wasn't. He knew his mind was playing tricks on him and he knew he could shift any second now, but it was Kim's voice that broke all his wandering thoughts.

"Embry Call, you are awful! I - I'm going to lose my best friend because of _you_," Kim shrieked, her lips quivering with each word spoken.

Embry groaned, "Kim, not now."

"Look, I don't care if you're on the verge of shifting and tearing this cafeteria apart but honestly? How could you say that about her?"

Embry snapped, "Dammit Kim, I didn't do anything wrong."

_You're too thin_

He cursed, remembering his words.

_Stop fretting over your freakin' classes_

He slammed his fist onto the tabletop, startling everyone. The wolf inside of him was practically taking over his body now. He could feel all his frustration and anger pile up into one big explosion.

_You need to chill_

He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of all the guilty looks his friends were giving them. All their looks of pity and Kim's hurtful face weren't helping the situation.

_Have some fun_

He hissed, suddenly jerking upward into a standing position. He shoved Jared aside and before he knew it, he was in the hallway and halfway out the door. It didn't take long for him to tear off his clothes and sprint through the thick woods. It didn't take long for him to howl a hurtful cry.

It didn't take long for Embry to realize he had no chance with Beatrice.

* * *

><p>The library was quiet as Beatrice sat in her regular spot near the science fiction section. She was doing her math homework when she heard a howl. She stopped writing and blinked, suddenly confused. Wolves shouldn't be howling at this time, let alone be anywhere near the school.<p>

She slowly made her way to the nearest window and looked around, trying to find the source of this cry. But, after five minutes wasted, she gave up.

"Poor guy, something must've happened in those woods."

She looked at the librarian, "Excuse me?"

"Beatrice, we all know wolves only come out late at night," the librarian replied, smirking.

She nodded, quickly agreeing with what the lady had to say. They all knew La Push had some strange animals but nothing beat the rumors of gigantic wolves that lurked around during the late hours of the night while everyone slept. It intrigued everyone but Beatrice thought it was ridiculous - wolves are wolves, regardless of what size, shape, or color they were. Wolves are harsh animals that hunted and continued to do whatever they needed to survive - there was nothing special about that. But, the rumors never stopped either.

"I see you went to lunch today," the librarian commented, watching the girl glance out the window every few seconds.

"Yeah… I did."

"Good, I hope you had a nice meal then."

Beatrice frowned, remembering how _he _had thought her lunch was pathetic. It was only a PB&J sandwich along with some string cheese, although it was nothing compared to his three ham & cheese sandwiches along with a giant container of barbeque potatoes chips. Heh, and he thought she was unhealthy.

"Oh Beatrice, I almost forgot to tell you - I told the staff how you were interested in tutoring younger children but your history teacher said she had a student that could really use your help."

Beatrice frowned, "A student in my grade?"

"I know it's not what you want but it could still look good on that college application of yours. And if you want to do that summer program near your dad's place - it could also help with that."

Beatrice nodded. She knew she wanted to do something teaching related in her life but she didn't know where to begin. Frankly speaking, no one ever thought of her as the 'helpful' type. But, she had to get started somewhere, even if it was with some idiot from her own class.

"Alright, I'll do it."

The librarian smiled, "Great, I'll let Ms. Plum know then. Oh, she'll be thrilled! Ah, I almost forgot, do you want to know who your student will be?"

Beatrice nodded, watching the librarian shuffle through papers on her desk before grabbing a post-it note off of her binder.

"Here we go - hmmm, I wonder if you know him by any chance… his name is Quil Ateara."

* * *

><p>Kim had left the cafeteria shortly after the bell rang but her mind was filled with constant thoughts of Bea. Oh god, what if her best friend hated her? Or what if she never ate anything from now on because of Embry's snide comment? Countless of questions flew through her mind before her eyes spotted Beatrice near the library doors.<p>

"Oh, Bea! I finally found you," Kim said, quickly wrapping her friend into a bear crushing hug, "I'm so sorry about lunch."

Beatrice sighed "I- it's fine Kim but… I need your help."

Kim let go of her friend, "Of course, I'll do anything."

"I need Quil."

Kim blinked, "I'm sorry… _what_?"

"I need to see Quil," Beatrice mumbled, watching her friend freeze in response.

"You, you need to see… Quil?" Kim repeated, slightly confused.

Beatrice nodded, "Yeah, I need to talk to him about something."

Kim stared at her best friend, wondering if this was actually happening. As far as Kim knew, Beatrice hated people like Embry and Quil but now she suddenly wanted to see him - no, she wanted to _talk _to him.

"… Can I ask why?"

Beatrice sighed, "I'm his new history tutor."

* * *

><p>By the time Embry got home it was almost six o'clock into the night. The sun was beginning to set and he was starving after running miles and miles of countless hours. Heck, he didn't even remember what time he had left school.<p>

He came home, shirtless and dirty, into a silent house. His mom wasn't home but he found the sticky note that she had left him - it said that she went to pick up dinner.

He wanted a drink of water before his eyes landed on the red, blinking light of the telephone machine. Apparently there was an unheard message. Making his way over to the phone, he clicked the button that said he had one new message. He pressed play.

"_Dude, are you home yet? It's Quil. Look, I know you don't want to talk to anyone right now but don't kill me when you hear this… Beatrice is coming over to my house tonight." _

Embry spit out the water he was drinking, almost dropping the glass in the process. He ignored the dripping water that was spilling down his face and onto his chest. He needed to hear the message one more time, make sure he heard it clearly. After replaying it a couple of times he just froze.

_Beatrice is coming over to my house tonight…_

What the hell was going on?

* * *

><p>AN: Talk about a twist. Haha, poor Embry. He's really confused now. More importantly, I bet you didn't think Bea was tutoring Quil :P I actually wanted to make her tutor Em instead but that would be too clichéd. Sorry folks but we need an interesting plot XD let's see how this goes when Embry decides to barge into Quil's house in the next chapter…

Let me know what you think about this dilemma! :)

Even though you guys didn't ask for Embry's class schedule, I'm gonna give it to you anyways :3 Just in case we get confused while reading.

1 - Physics

2 - English

3 - Gym

4 - Lunch

5 - Math

6 - Spanish

7 - History

8 - Woodshop

I know, they don't have any classes together except lunch ~ how sad is that? But then again, can you imagine them in a class together when they can barely sit together at lunch? LOL

R&R ~!


	7. because you're here

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Because you're here<em>

* * *

><p>[7]<p>

Embry deleted the message (after practically memorizing it) and instantly bolted upstairs. He needed to shower, change, and come out looking naturally clean before bombarding himself over to Quil's house.

He didn't even care that the water in the shower was freezing cold or that his soft, baby blue colored t-shirt wasn't properly ironed - he just needed to get to Quil, fast.

With the speed of a wolf, he cleaned himself up in less than twenty minutes. In fact, his hair was still dripping wet when he left his house. Yet, he somehow managed remembering to write his mom a quick note about where he was going and when he was coming back - he was good son, surprisingly.

The air outside was crisp; the smell of musky trees surrounded him as he walked along the side-walk. Quil's house was probably four or five miles away but he wanted to slowly jog there, clearing his head before he decided to attack his friend the moment he saw him.

_Beatrice is coming over tonight _

He growled, increasing his pace. What in the world was Quil thinking? And why was Beatrice even going to _his _house? Jealousy, anger, and confusion all fueled Embry's jog.

After a couple of minutes, he found himself in front of a small, red brick house that had a warm welcome mat placed neatly outside the front door. He raised his hand to knock roughly against the door but stopped mid-air when he heard laughter - Quil's nervous laughter.

"_Beatrice, come on. I don't wanna do this anymore…" _

"_Quil - you need to. You're paying me for this, remember?"_

"_Yeah but I didn't think this would be so hard!" _

"_Neither did I; It's my first time doing this too."_

"…_Heh, I wouldn't be surprised by that." _

Embry's jaw suddenly clicked, his muscles tensing instantly. On instinct he kicked the main door open; letting is slam against the wall as he forcefully entered the house while screaming:

"What the hell is going on over here?"

His fingers were formed into fists and his wolf senses were about to unleash themselves before he spotted Quil sitting lazily on the kitchen counter with papers surrounding him while Beatrice was reading her textbook… what _was_ exactly going on here?

"Look, Em, I know you love your grand entrances and all but you could've just ringed the doorbell," stated Quil, rolling his eyes.

_... say wha? _

Embry blinked, "B-but, you said that you were paying her to... do stuff."

Quil scoffed, "Relax man, she's my history tutor."

History tutor? Embry froze. Beatrice was _tutoring _Quil … god, he must've forgotten to clean his dirty mind today. This whole time he had been worrying himself sick over this ' dilemma' only to find that Beatrice was helping his friend. Wow, what an outcome.

Beatrice, on the other hand, was petrified. This maniac had just broken Quil's door and came in yelling like he was going to kill someone. She thought Embry Call was an idiot but Ty was right - he was just plainly messed up.

She quickly gathered her materials and said, "I need to go now, Quil."

"What? But you said I still need to finish this practice test before you leave!" Quil whined, looking at the various amount of questions he still had left. Technically, he could do this assignment while reading the textbook but he needed Beatrice to stay - how else was Embry supposed to flirt/ make a move if she wasn't here?

"Quil, it's getting late and… and you have company now," replied Beatrice, avoiding eye contact with a certain someone in the room.

Embry, however, shortly recovered from his initial shock and babbled, "Oh no, just ignore me."

Beatrice wanted to laugh. How in the world was she supposed to ignore him when he had just _physically _forced his way into this house and now was roaming around this place like some untamed dog. How was she supposed to feel safe?

"Bea, can you help me with this question? It's something about the political spectrum," Quil interrupted, reinforcing the idea that Beatrice _had_ to stay and help him. After all, she was his tutor and he was paying her by the hour…

Oh, how she was stuck in this very unfortunate situation.

* * *

><p>Beatrice had been at Quil's house for the past hour and every ten minutes, he would leave the room to do something which left her alone with that maniac, idiot thing (aka Embry).<p>

She sighed, feeling tired and frustrated by Quil's lack of perseverance. Embry, however, could sense her pain because Quil could be handful, for anyone. So, in an effort to chat with her, he decided to spark up a new conversation.

"Quil can be a pain in the butt sometimes but don't worry; he's doing much better than before. He actually remembered the dates you repeating," Embry said, watching Beatrice massage her temples in an effort to ease herself. He knew she didn't want to be here or talk to him but he couldn't help it, the past hour had been the best hour in his life because he had time to just stare at her in detail - she had cute little freckles spreading across her cheeks.

Beatrice glanced at him and nodded, acknowledging his presence in the room.

"So, why are you tutoring him again? I mean, I know he kind of sucks at history but… why you?" asked Embry, leaning back against his chair.

Beatrice closed her eyes - why _was _she doing this again?

"Because I want to be a teacher," she mumbled, replying to herself rather than Embry. It didn't matter though, he still heard her. And was beyond happy to know that they were having a decent conversation.

"Teacher, huh? What do you want to teach?"

"I don't know."

Embry could feel the energy in the room die but he wouldn't let that happen. He was going to have a talk with Beatrice, even if her replies were simply 'yes' or 'no'.

"Well, I'm sure that after teaching Quil some history, you could practically teach anyone then," replied Embry, closely watching her reaction.

But, as usual, Beatrice didn't smile or blink or even twitch at his statement - she just looked straight past him, as if he was nothing.

"… Why are you here?" she whispered, staring at the clock.

_Because you're here _

"Because I was invited by Quil," Embry lied, sitting straighter than he previously was. This was the longest conversation they've had so far - he was excited.

"So you barge into your friend's house, disrupt his tutoring session, don't bother to leave, and now you're wasting your own time?" countered Beatrice, a slight ounce of irritation lurking her voice.

Embry slowly nodded, "Ah - if you put it in those words then yeah."

Luckily for them, Quil came back after ten minutes of disappearing. The atmosphere in the room had plummeted to an all time low the moment he entered but the goofy grin on Embry's face made it crystal clear that there was some progress made. But Beatrice was exhausted and had packed up all her materials previously, ready to leave any second.

"Quil, it's six thirty - I need to go now," said Beatrice, her voice straining along the edges.

Quil nodded, "Yeah, of course. No worries, I'll get this stuff done… eventually."

Beatrice didn't care at this point - she was already putting on her shoes in order to escape. But Quil knew better, she practically had a very long walk home and it was going to start pouring rain any second now. Swiftly, he threw his car keys at Embry and motioned towards Beatrice.

"Yo, Bea - it's gonna downpour so Embry is going to give you a ride home," Quil stated, watching Embry quickly stand up and prepare himself.

Beatrice tried denying his offer, "I have an umbrella."

"Do you want to get hit by lightening?" joked Quil, ignoring the current look of annoyance Embry was sending him. Of course his wolf friend didn't want her to get struck by lightning but as opposed to others…

"I'll be fine," she said, stubbornly. Her shoes were all put on and she held her umbrella tightly in her left hand but when she reached for her backpack Quil grabbed it instead, deciding to take it to his car. She watched him place it in the passenger seat while Embry came next to her.

"Come on," he said, toying with the car keys, "I'll get you home safely."

* * *

><p>AN: Progress is being made! :D haha, poor Beatrice. As much as I love the wolf pack, I'd hate to tutor any one of them - they'd be too hard to manage.

Anyways, Embry finally calmed down after thinking whatever he was thinking (apparently it was bad) and then he and his imprint had a nice chat and now let's see how he is going to get her home… hopefully no more accidents? (no pun intended).

So, once again, let me know what you think ~

And thank you for all the wonderful reviews and story alerts! :D they mean a lot to me, like when I surpassed thirty reviews I had this mini party inside my head LOL it made my day.

R &R ~!


	8. she's like a bee

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>She's like a Bee<em>

* * *

><p>[8]<p>

Embry Call had never been this nervous to drive a car since his driving test. Although he had passed with flying colors and was a pretty safe driver, the way Beatrice was clenching onto her seatbelt while the car wasn't even on yet made his heart race like crazy. It didn't take long for him to realize that she was afraid of him.

"So, where do you live?" he asked, buckling his seatbelt. His question made her snap out of her daze and slightly flustered.

"I'll give you the directions while you're driving," she mumbled, not exactly willing to let him know her address.

"Alright, that's cool. It's raining a bit hard so I'm gonna drive slowly," he said, shifting the car out of parking. From the rear view mirror he could see Quil waving them goodbye, a cheeky grin sculpting his features.

_Cheeky Bastard_

A silly smile soon erupted onto Embry's face as he silently thanked the heavens and Quil for his opportunity alone with Beatrice. Now, he needed to focus on how _not_ to screw up every time he opened his mouth.

Beatrice, on the other hand, was staring out the window, watching the rain drops splash against the glass as they left their trail behind. To be honest, she was currently anxious (which she hated) but was thankful that Embry was keeping his mouth shut. Only soundless silence passed between them.

"Take a right here," she said, never pointing at the turn ahead or even glancing at him. It was more like an order than given directions. He didn't care - he never really noticed anything bad about her anyways. She was perfect to him.

Embry expertly curved the steering wheel to make a turn, causing the car to splash against puddles of water to create a miniature wave. He grinned, loving the way he had purposely accelerated his speed when he turned - it gave him more control. Beatrice, however, had to grip the door handle as the car quickly spun.

"Do you mind if we listen to music?" Embry asked, looking at Beatrice. She was still squished against the door from the impact of his turn but managed to nod yes, hoping he wouldn't start listening to any provocative or excessively loud music. His driving skills were already causing her pain enough.

"Great! Can you turn on the CD player and play track six?" he motioned to the CD player with his eyes as she fumbled to sit properly against her uncomfortably tight seatbelt. By the time she was settled, she clicked the button but forgot what track he wanted again. She peeked at him, opening her mouth to ask but he was quicker.

"Track six, Bee."

She froze, her fingers barely gracing against the panel. Embry continued to drive casually until he noticed her frigid movements and slowed down a bit.

"Bee, I said track six," he repeated, watching her stare at the play button. He was definitely confused now - what happened this time?

Yet, Beatrice's mind was on the verge of melting. First, she had to survive Quil's tutoring session where he called her 'Bea' every time he spoke (that was Kim's special name for her that Quil had no right to use). But now, Embry Call had decided to nickname her 'Bee.' As in, the annoying insect with black and yellow stripes that raced for honey while taunting predators with its stinger.

How the hell was she a bee?

"Uh… Beatrice, are you like carsick or something?" Embry questioned, worried about her behavior.

_Yes, I am sick. Sick of you._

"Don't call me that."

He blinked, "What?"

"Don't call me Bee - my name is Beatrice," she stated, clenching her fist. Venom dripped those words of her, hurting Embry a bit. Of course she didn't want him to call her that but he couldn't help it. Everyone called her Bea and he wanted to address her in a special way - his way.

"Sorry, I thought it would be a good, short version of Beatrice. N-not that your name is a mouthful just…" he trailed off, trying to find a good excuse for his behavior.

She finally turned played track six and stared out the window before ordering, "keep going straight until you see the stop sign. Then take a right."

Luckily for them, the sound of instrumental music filled up their dying conversation. The rain was pouring like crazy and they could hear distinct sounds of thunder rumble. Beatrice wanted to just go home but the way Embry was driving, a supposed fifteen minute car ride soon turned into a very longer one. She sighed.

"Are you parents home?" wondered Embry, curious about her private life. She took a while to respond but nodded yes.

"Good. What about any siblings? I heard having them is annoying like hell."

The thought of Ty suddenly came to her head, causing a smile to tease her lips (and he was fortunate enough to notice that reaction of hers).

"I… I have a brother," she answered, staring out the window. He bit his lip, wanting to ask more. Was her brother older or younger than her? Was he close to her? Was he overly protective? Thousands of questions flew through his head but from previous experience, he learned to keep his mouth shut. Of course, he still wanted to know the facts but he didn't want to pester Beatrice anymore about her private life. He figured that hopefully in the future he'd know her family inside and out. But for the sake of chatting, he decided to ramble about himself.

"Nice, that's cool. I don't have any siblings - it's just my mom and I in our small house. I guess the closest thing I have to brothers is the pack err… the guys. You know, Quil and all them. But like I said, they can be annoying as hell," he finished, inwardly cursing himself for mentioning the pack.

Beatrice didn't respond but she still heard him, storing the new information she learned in the back of her head. If Embry Call was getting this personal, she might as well learn some new things here and there.

"Take another right here, my house is the one with the basketball hoop," she replied. After another sharp turn, he drove up her driveway and stopped the car. His hands were gripped tightly onto steering wheel. He didn't want her to go… not yet.

Beatrice unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car, grabbing her backpack last. She was about to slam the door shut and walk away when she stopped. Her eyes slowly made their way towards him and he froze. This was the first time she looked at him during the whole entire car ride and tutoring session. His heart was going to explode if her eyes stayed glued to him like that.

"… thanks, Embry," she whispered, breaking eye contact as she closed the door. It was still raining so she had to quickly run inside or else she would get drenched. He watched her go and made sure she was okay; he then pulled out of her drive way and drove back.

His mind was still fuzzy - his hands were almost white from how tightly he was holding the steering wheel. Out of instinct, he slammed onto the breaks which made the car quickly jerk to a stop. The thunder was getting louder and louder as lightning soared across the sky.

_Thanks, Embry…_

He closed his eyes shut, feeling a chaotic mix of emotions soar through him. Embry Call was screwed, because one look from Beatrice could make him crazy. Beatrice _was _making him crazy.

God, she's like a Bee - she stung him.

… so how the hell was he supposed to focus on driving when his mind was haunted by her thoughts?

* * *

><p>Beatrice dropped her backpack onto the floor as she kicked her shoes off.<p>

Her house was warm and she could smell whatever her mom was cooking in the kitchen. It wasn't until her stomach started growling that she realized how hungry she was. Eagerly, she walked towards her kitchen to find a surprise.

"Ty? What are you doing here?"

Her brother had been the one whipping up dinner but that shouldn't have been unexpected. It was strange, however, that he was here on a weekday - he should have been working.

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?" he teased, sprinkling cilantro onto his dish.

Beatrice blinked, "No - it's not that. But shouldn't you be working?"

"I would've but the electricity went out at the restaurant because of the storm. Unfortunately, that blizzard from Seattle is making its way over here so I thought I might as well come over and cook something instead of letting you starve. Plus, mom called me; her shift isn't ending until 2 am," he explained, grabbing plates.

She nodded, excusing herself to wash her hands. Ty set the table and plated their dinner. When she came back, they both ate in silence until Ty interrupted her feast.

"So, who was that?"

Her mouth was full of pasta, "Wha?"

"Your ride. Who dropped you home in this terrible weather? That person must be either half crazy or enjoy a good adrenaline rush," commented Ty.

Beatrice swallowed, "Why?"

"Bea, as soon as you came home there was a storm warning. The person who drove you could get seriously injured in this weather. Hopefully they live close by," Ty said, motioning towards the window to emphasize his point. The storm outside was getting worse, making her feel a rush of panic. For the first, Beatrice felt a pure shiver of guilt roll down her spine.

Embry Call had drove her home… what was he thinking?

* * *

><p>AN: well, that had to the most awkward car ride ever XD anyways, I hope you liked the events that played out. :3 Beatrice is beginning to open up to Embry, sort of. :P I don't know, I really do think she's like a bee though~

On the side note, I love storms :D

Overall, let me know what you thought of the chapter ~! And once again, many thanks for the reviews and story alerts. :] I'm glad you guys like Beatrice and Embry together.

R&R


	9. let's be friends

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Let's be friends<em>

* * *

><p>[9]<p>

The moment Beatrice changed into her pajamas she knew that she would have to take sleeping pills tonight (even though it was a Friday night and she wasn't disturbed by storms at all). But, in order to get rid of those lingering thoughts about Embry Call inside her head, she would do anything.

_Is he okay? _

She went downstairs to get a cold glass of water with two pills tightly clenched into her palms.

_Did he make it home safely?_

Effortlessly, she popped the pills in her mouth and quickly drank water, trying her best not to choke.

_What was he thinking?_

Making her way back upstairs and towards her room, she slid into her bed. After readjusting her pillow, she made sure her bedroom window was shut completely. Reassured, she quickly and quietly tried to go to sleep - ignoring the raging storm outside and any notion of guilt that strung her heart when she thought about Embry.

_What if he's hurt… because of me?_

Luckily for her, the medication inside the pills took over and everything in her body focused on one thing: sleep.

* * *

><p>Beep.<p>

Beep.

Beep.

…

Beatrice swiftly turned off her alarm and jumped out of bed. It was seven o'clock on Saturday morning and she felt absolutely energetic (those sleeping pills worked amazingly well). She made her bed and then went to the bathroom where she took a shower and got ready for the day.

Unlike many of her other students, Beatrice was a morning person. The day started with the rise of the sun and so did she - it was a benefit that she could be so easily enthusiastic in the very early hours of the day. Plus, she usually made breakfast and finished her homework all by noon on Saturday; unlike her classmates who procrastinate until Sunday night to do their work.

After getting ready, she made her way to the kitchen where she prepared her usual Saturday breakfast: waffles with blueberries. She got all the ingredients for the batter ready and was mixing them like crazy until the phone rang. She stopped, confused. Who would call someone at seven thirty in the morning?

Regardless, she picked up the phone.

"_Good morning Bea!"_

She blinked, "Kim?"

"_You guessed it ~ haha, surprised?" _

She smiled, "Yeah. Why are you calling me this early? Don't you usually sleep in?"

"_I would've but my stupid alarm went off … anyways, wanna hang out today?" _

Beatrice almost dropped the phone - Kim actually _wanted _to spend time with her. It sounded all too perfect…

"Uh, sure."

She could hear Kim giggle on the other end,_ "Great! So, I was thinking we could to go a bonfire tonight." _

Beatrice blinked, "What?"

"_A bonfire; Jared and his friends usually have one every month so I thought I would take you this time, plus it gets pretty boring with no girls there." _

Ah, so there was the catch. Her best friend was going to drag her to a party so she wouldn't be lonely… great.

"Actually Kim, I have a lot of homework to do and… yeah," Beatrice replied lamely, trying to find a good excuse to skip this invitation.

"_Bea, stop it. You're coming with me, okay? We need to hang out."_

She sighed, "I know we have to meet up but I just don't want to… well…"

"_Chill with Jared's friends? Bea, they aren't bad - they're just goofy. Besides, they usually play sports the entire time so no one will disturb our girl talk."_

As much as she wanted to believe Kim, she knew that they would somehow find a way to antagonize her. Plus, she didn't really want to associate or even think about Embry anymore.

"… _Come on Bea, at least do it for me?" _

If Kim was next to her right now, she would've been pleading with her puppy eyes and hugging Beatrice to death in order to get her approval. Yet, even when she was on the phone her voice still got to Beatrice. Could she really say no to her best friend?"

_Say no._

_No._

_No._

_No._

…

"Fine, I'll go."

* * *

><p>Embry slammed the door of his truck shut before sprinting towards Sam's house. He could smell the barbeque from the front door and almost ran over Paul while trying to get to the source of food. He would've gotten away with it too, if Paul hadn't wrestled him to the floor. And so, the fight began.<p>

"Hey! Take it outside you two, you're blocking the door."

Paul let go if his grip around Embry to find Emily glaring at them. She had a silly apron draped on her dress and was frowning at the way they had almost knocked over _all_ the pictures in the hallway.

"You boys need to be careful; we have a very important guest tonight."

Embry scoffed, "A guest? Please, who'd we invite and why are they crashing our party?"

Paul snickered at his comment while Emily looked at him with a grin on her face. He had no idea what was happening or who was coming. When Kim had called Emily about her friend, she was ecstatic to meet another wolf girl. But, Embry had no clue that his imprint would be arriving very shortly. And the way his shirt was all crinkled up right now while his jeans were torn, she was glad he had some time to clean himself up… too bad he had no idea.

"Paul, go outside to help Sam with the barbeque. And you, sir, will be helping me," Emily said, dragging Embry towards the kitchen. She made him cut potatoes for her potato salad and ordered him to get the plates ready. It took her an entire day to cook up food for the pack and it took them about thirty seconds to finish it all... what a bunch of dogs.

She nervously glanced at the clock, which read six thirty, and motioned Embry. He stopped pouring lemonade into red plastic cups and went towards Emily.

"You need anything Em - hey!" Embry exclaimed, surprised by the way Emily was smoothing out his t-shirt and fixing his collar.

She dusted off his shirt, "Oh hush Embry. You need to look nice and please don't get yourself too muddy."

Embry rolled his eyes. Girls were always complaining about this sort of stuff but Emily usually didn't care. Sure, the pack got dirty but as long as they cleaned themselves outside _first _before going into the house, Emily was fine. Yet, he was guessing that something about this so-called 'guest' was getting her paranoid. And if Emily was paranoid, everyone was screwed.

"Look, Emily, you need to chill. Don't fret over somebody who's - "

The doorbell interrupted Embry and gave Emily a fright. She tore off her apron before rushing towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened a door with a big smile on her face.

Instantly, her eyes landed on the girl who stood next to Kim.

* * *

><p>"Hello girls, come on in."<p>

Kim stepped inside the house to give the lady who had opened the door a quick hug. They chatted a bit before Kim introduced Beatrice.

"Emily, this is my best friend Beatrice. And Bea, this lovely lady is Emily," Kim said, beaming. Beatrice gave Emily a small smile before shaking her hand; Emily seemed nice and her house was decorated beautifully with tribal artifacts. Beatrice wanted to roam around a bit but it was inappropriate at the current time.

"Come Beatrice, let's go outside. You girls must be hungry," Emily remarked, leading them towards the backyard.

Beatrice was a step behind Kim but every time Emily would turn around to see if they were still following, she got scared. She was thankful that Kim had warned her on the drive about Emily's scars but… how did that happen? She curious and slightly disturbed yet her thoughts were quickly interrupted.

"Hey, the chicks are here!"

Beatrice frowned at the rude introduction while both Emily and Kim went to greet their boyfriends. She stood near the back door, shivering. Before coming to the party, Kim was trying to convince her to wear a dress but she had been stubborn and threw on shorts and a soft, black sweater instead. She didn't know how Emily or Kim could stand outside in their girly dresses because Beatrice was getting goosebumps.

She was about to make her way towards them when the backdoor suddenly slid open and she jumped, instantly looking behind her. To her regret, there stood none other than the bane of her existence - Embry Call.

Turns out, he must've been surprised as well because Embry was staring at her like she was some sort of alien. Realizing their close proximity, she took a step back before rushing towards her friend. Embry was left petrified.

"Surprise lover boy."

Paul playfully shoved Embry aside before taunting him again. Embry snapped out of his daze and glared at Paul.

"What's she doing here?" Embry asked, curiously watching Beatrice sit between Kim and Emily as they munched on snacks.

Paul rolled his eyes, "Dude, she's the guest."

* * *

><p>Kim and Emily chatted while Beatrice quietly ate her bread roll. So far, she had learned that Emily was Sam's fiancé and that it took her almost half the day to cook this large amount of food.<p>

The boys were playing football while Sam was grilling but overall, the atmosphere was good and relaxed. Beatrice felt that she could now roam around freely. She excused herself from the girls group and decided to take a quick tour of the house (with Emily's permission of course).

She was amazed by the way Emily and Sam has decorated their house. She spent about five minutes staring at each tribal artifact that hung against the wall. There were feathers and head masks and animal skin - all of it led her to amazement.

While she was staring at the dream catcher placed next to Emily's family portrait, a voice suddenly intruded her.

"Bea?"

She whipped around to find the person who had driven her home last night during a storm.

"Uh… hi. Um, can I ask you something?"

Still in shock, she slowly nodded 'yes'.

"Let's be friends."

She blinked, "What?"

"Let's be friends," Embry restated, closely watching her reaction. So far, she had none.

However Beatrice, on the inside, was going through a range of emotions. First of all, that certainly was _not _a question. Furthermore, why would Embry Call _want_ to be friends with her in the first place? It made no sense - they had nothing in common.

"Why?" she whispered, staring at the floor.

Embry gulped, "C-cause, ah, well, I just thought that since we keep running into each other then…?"

Beatrice bit her lip, thinking. Clearly, there had to be an alternative motive to all of this. Because Embry Call just couldn't be trusted. But, in order to figure out what he was scheming inside of his head, she _had _to get close to him so…

"Fine."

Embry felt his jaw go slack, "… pardon?"

Beatrice finally looked up at him, her eyes piercing his before she stated, "Okay. Let's be friends."

* * *

><p>AN: Yay for some progress into their 'relationship' :P to be honest, I have no idea where this is leading. It could be good, it could be bad. We'll just have to see ~

Oh Bea. You're over analyzing this too much - the boy just is head over heels for you, not some crazy mastermind. LOL it makes me love her character because she refuses to worry about him in the beginning, tries to avoid him later on, and in the end, she over thinks the situation and tries to level with him. -sigh- why are girls so complicated sometimes? XD

Also, out of curiosity, what do guys imagine Beatrice to look like? :] I don't really give an in-depth description of her facial features only 'cause I want you guys to imagine her in your own way. But, let me know ~

So… yeah. Review and give me your feedback on the chapter :) Thanks!


	10. walk with me

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Walk with me<em>

* * *

><p>[10]<p>

Embry couldn't stop staring at her.

Everyone was seated outside, enjoying their dinner while his eyes were glued to Beatrice. He couldn't believe it.

_Okay._

Her eyes swiftly met his before she looked down at her plate, staring at her unfinished bread roll. Slowly, she chewed the remaining bread bits as he just watched her, completely entranced.

_Let's be friends._

… Was it really that easy? Did she seriously like him now, after all the mistakes he had committed? Whatever it was, he couldn't comprehend the whole situation yet.

He actually never meant to ask her, it sort of just blurted out of his mouth. All he wanted was to talk to her, get her attention. And the way she was looking at that dream catcher, eyes wide with intense fascination, something in him just snapped. On instinct he confronted her and …

Now they were friends.

The whole situation kept replaying in his head. She had accepted the offer before gracefully walking away, leaving him speechless again. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. It was all too fast, too confusing. More importantly, why wasn't he happy?

His heart was on the verge of explosion but something in his gut told him not to get too excited. And the way Beatrice was currently avoiding eye contact with him made it clear that he'd have to wait a little longer before celebrating this improvement.

* * *

><p>Beatrice swallowed her last bite of grilled chicken before getting up to clean her plate. Dinner had been delicious and the environment around the table had been lively, energetic. However, Embry Call was another matter.<p>

She had expected him to be joyful, feasting himself full along with his friends but strangely enough, he had been quiet during dinner. He didn't eat much either. His was… out of character.

Frankly, she didn't know what to do to. He confused her way too much - it was as if he was constantly scheming of something or trying to prank her. She was always on full alert around him. Her emotions were always wavering around him too, unfortunately.

"Bea, we're gonna go to the beach after cleaning up, is that cool?" Kim asked, bursting Beatrice's pattern of thoughts.

She nodded, hoping that the change of scenario would distract her from her current predicament.

Shortly after, everyone was piled in their cars ready to go to the beach. Luckily for Beatrice, Embry wasn't riding with her; he was in his own truck while she was in Kim's car. And coincidentally, both Kim and Beatrice were alone - surprisingly - so now she could talk freely about what was bothering her.

"… Embry and I are friends now," she said, glancing at Kim.

Kim nodded, "Okay. And what's wrong with that?"

Beatrice opened her mouth to answer but didn't know what to say. Certainly, this was not how she had expected Kim to react - Kim was supposed to freak out and give her some sort of advice but instead she was casually driving her car, completely nonchalant.

"Beatrice, I'm telling you that he's a good guy. Why don't you just believe me?" countered Kim, turning the steering wheel.

"I don't trust him," she replied, staring out the window.

"Well, then start to! You can't just become friends with somebody you don't trust. Gosh, this is _common sense_ Bea," Kim barked, slightly angry at Beatrice for acting so clueless.

"Don't snap at me. I just… what do I do?" she wondered.

Kim sighed, "Talk to him. Get to know him better. What else are you supposed to do?"

_I'm supposed to find out what's cooking inside that little head of his. _

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Kim parked the car, "Bea, don't over think this."

Beatrice frowned. Kim hadn't even listened to her full story yet and she practically was blowing her off. And the fact that she ran into Jared's arms, before Beatrice even got out of the car, reminded her that her friend had other things on her mind.

Besides, what _was _that big deal anyways?

"You okay?"

She whipped her head to the sound of the voice, startled. Embry was leaning against the car, waiting for her to step out.

"You seem sad, Bee."

She halted. He was calling her by his nickname - he was regarding her as an insect. Suddenly, anger seemed to take over as a primary emotion. She slammed the car door shut, annoyed by this whole situation.

"Please, don't call me _that_," she hissed, glaring at him.

He simply rolled his eyes in response, "Yeah, yeah. Pester me all you want but now that we're friends, I have the right to call you by anything I wish."

She froze; He was right. They were friends now which meant he could crawl under her skin and hit a nerve anytime he wanted to. Something about that made her quickly walk away from him. He was making her annoyed. Confused. Bewildered.

Hell, Embry Call was making her _emotional. _

And it didn't take him long to catch up with her either. They were the last two people to the reach the beach while everyone else seemed to being doing their own thing - whether it be cliff diving or intimate couples cuddling.

Beatrice cringed, suddenly feeling out of place.

"Walk with me."

She looked at Embry, oblivious. He waited for her reaction but she seemed lost.

"Bee, walk with me," he said again, softly leaning towards her so she could hear him better. It must've worked because her eyes had dilated and she automatically took a step away from him, uncomfortable by their closeness.

He wasn't surprised by all of this but still wanted to do something - and this time, he could. After all, weren't they friends? Embry boldly grabbed a hold of her hand and forced her to walk with him, regardless of her say.

Beatrice was startled by his move. One minute, he was whispering in her ear. The next minute, he was holding her hand. What exactly was he thinking? She just couldn't understand him. Nevertheless, her steps trailed behind his while his hand clutched her fingers.

_Walk with me._

They had gotten pretty far from the rest of the pack and were walking along the beach. The ocean kept sliding against the sand as the moonlight seemed to glitter above the water. The air was cold and if it wasn't for the warmth erupting from Embry's hand, Beatrice would've been shivering to death by now.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked, breaking their silence.

Beatrice replied, "Green."

And the silence presumed again. He didn't say anything or even turn his head to look at her. He was just leading her on this walk, holding her hand as an excuse to drag her along. But, this wasn't so bad, was it?

Beatrice bit her lips, thinking. Maybe Kim was right, maybe she was over thinking this whole friendship thing. She'd hate to admit it but, what if Embry Call wasn't exactly… crazy?

_Talk to him. _

What if her expectations were just too high?

_Get to know him better. _

Even though doubt lingered her mind, she took initiative this time, "What about you?"

He glanced at her, "What?"

"What's you favorite color?"

He grinned, "Definitely _hot_ pink."

Beatrice looked away, a smile threatening her features. However, that didn't stop a little giggle from escaping her lips.

"I knew it - you did have a sense of humor," Embry stated, smirking. He had to admit, she did hold a good expressionless façade but nothing could stop the sneaky attack of laughter; after all, laughter was the best medicine.

Pleased by her reaction, he kept talking. He asked her questions relating to her likes and dislikes; and when she finished answering them she would look up at him, her eyes motioning him to answer as well.

After a countless round of questions, they arrived back at where they originally had started - near the parking lot with the rest of the pack. Their walk must've been long but it had passed by rather quickly.

And it wasn't until Beatrice went to sit in Kim's car that she realized Embry and her were still holding hands. He seemed to have noticed this as well, considering the goofy smile he gave her when he squeezed her hand while saying goodbye.

Kim jumped into the driver's seat, "well that was fun, wasn't it?"

Beatrice looked out the window to see Embry climb into his truck, along with Quil and Paul. He was blasting music when he suddenly looked over - he smiled. Beatrice slowly raised her hand to wave goodbye before turning away.

"Yeah," she whispered, "it was alright."

* * *

><p>AN: I love this chapter, yes I do! I mean, with all their confused feelings and handholding, I wonder how long they'll keep behaving like 'friends' LOL I never had a walk along the beach with any of my friends, did you? :P

Overall, let me know what you think ~ and please do review ^^ I was wondering, can you guys help me reach 50 reviews this time? Let's see… :]

R&R


	11. why even bother?

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Why even bother?<em>

* * *

><p>[11]<p>

After her busy Saturday, Beatrice's weekend went by pretty fast. On Sunday, she had mostly stayed at home and preoccupied herself with either finishing homework or cooking. And after a wonderful Sunday supper with her lovely mother and sibling, she fell asleep early for the next day.

However, upon arriving at school she realized why she suddenly hated small towns - news traveled fast. By the time she reached her locker, at least fifteen girls had glared at her or gave her a disapproving look. And the boys were even worse, eyeing her in ways she never could have imagined.

"_See that, that's her - Embry's new chew toy." _

"_I just don't get it, what does he see in her?" _

"_You guys are blaming this on Embry? Come on. Clearly that nerd seduced him. I mean, it's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" _

"_Oh please, have you even heard her speak before? It's like someone reciting an encyclopedia." _

"_So? Maybe Embry's into that sort of thing now - I mean, Jared fell for Kim too, didn't he?" _

"_Kim? Ugh, don't even start with her. Seriously, those two friends are brainwashing them." _

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Well, how else would Jared or Embry even look at those two? They're the most fakest people ever. Kim's just a wannabe and Beatrice is just… weird." _

"_Oh yeah, I bet you 50 bucks those guys are doing this for some sort of bet."_

"_Makes sense. You hit 'em then you leave 'em, right?"_

Hushed whispers surrounded her as she emptied her backpack, annoyed. She was going to slam her locker shut when someone screamed her name down the hallway. As all heads turned as there came a rather handsome young man sprinting down the hallway.

Beatrice blinked, confused. Embry Call was running towards her…

Within a few seconds he was standing right next to her, his hair disheveled by his quick sprint. He was wearing a faded white t-shirt with ripped jeans; he looked nice. Embry grinned at her, wishing her a good morning. She returned the gesture by nodding, closing her locker simultaneously.

She would've walked away from him in order to get to class but he suddenly grabbed her hand again - startling her and probably everyone around them.

"I'll walk you to class," he said, squeezing her hand. She wanted to deny his offer but he never gave her the time to rebuttal - he started walking instead, dragging her along with him.

Beatrice looked back to see the students in the hallway; one girl's mouth was falling open while another boy looked at her with dilated eyes. They couldn't believe this, _she _couldn't believe this.

But truth be told, this scandal was fresh and spread like wildfire.

* * *

><p>Embry couldn't help but have a stupid smile pasted onto his face because frankly, he'd never thought he'd get this far. He was holding Beatrice's hand and she wasn't pushing him away or telling him to stop - she was actually <em>agreeing <em>with all this stuff. And something about that made him feel all 'fluffy' inside.

They were almost to her class when he felt her tug back slightly, her voice whispering him to wait. He stopped moving and turned around to see her. She was looking away, slightly nervous.

"Embry, can you let go of my hand now?"

He looked at their hands and back at her before slowly releasing her fingers. Her hand was so small compared to his; he couldn't help but be amazed at how perfectly her tiny palm fit into his.

"Why Bee, we're almost there," he replied, tilting his head towards the direction of her classroom.

She nodded, "I know."

He smiled, reaching to grab her hand again but this time, she took one step back.

"Bee… what's wrong?"

She hid her hands behind her back and stared at the floor, mumbling, "You don't have to hold my hand. I know where my class is."

He frowned, suddenly feeling like he was losing again because her cold aura came back. Of course, he had expected this of her but not so soon.

He sighed, "Come on, I thought we were friends, Bee."

She instantly snapped her head up to see him as her eyes screamed confusion. She didn't understand. He didn't get what went wrong. Obviously, they were friends. They had spent their whole Saturday night getting to know each other while walking along the beach. However, now they were in school.

"Friends don't hold each other's hands, Embry," she stated, quickly walking around him to get to her class. He was left frozen on the spot.

_Friends don't hold each other's hands_

* * *

><p>"Oh good, you came!"<p>

Beatrice looked up to see Kim greet her. They were finally having lunch together and hopefully, nothing would ruin it.

She sat next to her best friend and across from Embry. He smiled at her again, acting as if whatever happened earlier didn't matter - she pretended to do the same thing. Surprisingly, lunch was going by smoothly and she was almost done with her strawberry yogurt when Kim asked her a question.

"So Bea, got any plans for this weekend?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm visiting Ty in Seattle."

Embry gave her a weird look, "Who's Ty?"

"My brother," she answered, taking another spoonful of delicious yogurt into her mouth.

Kim laughed, noticing how Embry's shoulders suddenly became relaxed after learning about Ty - she never would admit it aloud but Embry was actually cute when he got a little jealous. Plus, Beatrice was oblivious to it all.

"That's great, is your mom going too?"

Beatrice shook her head, "I'm going alone."

"Whoa, hold on. You're going to Seattle _alone _- are you nuts?" Jared said, pointing his fork at her.

Kim took his fork away, "I agree. That's dangerous Bea."

Beatrice frowned. Kim had never cared before that she went to visit her brother alone, in fact, she never cared at all. Something about that made her annoyed - nobody knew her relationship with her brother and even if it was dangerous, it was worth it all in the end.

"I'll go with you."

She looked up to meet Embry's eyes.

"What?"

He restated, "I'll go with you to visit your brother."

Beatrice gulped. Embry was offering to go with her for her 'security purposes'. How rubbish was that? She had visited her brother plenty of times and was used to it. Also, even Kim hadn't gone with her before so why would Embry want to go?

"Yeah, Embry can take you Bea. He'll give you some company too," Kim ushered. She wanted her friend to be alone with him and this would be the perfect chance. If things went well, Embry would be close to Beatrice as ever.

"No."

Embry scoffed, "Too bad, I'm going."

"Why? It's not even that important," she argued, finishing up her lunch.

Embry leaned towards her, "Not important? Are you kidding me, I _want _to meet your brother. And I want to try some of his amazing food too."

Beatrice froze. Nobody had ever been eager to meet her family, let alone be near her. Something warmed her heart when she heard him say that.

"And according to your silence, I think you've agreed. It's a date then," he smirked.

She blinked, "What?"

"You know, like a play-date?"

Her lips quivered, "Right. A play-date between two friends. Of course. "

Embry winked at her in response.

* * *

><p>The week went by pretty fast but the rumors never ceased either. The current one was that Embry Call was taking her on a date to a five-star restaurant that his family owned… yeah,<em> right.<em>

"You're gonna wear that?"

Beatrice turned around to find that Kim was giving her a disapproving look. She glanced at her outfit: she was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. It was fitted for the cold weather in Seattle.

"What's wrong with it?"

Kim winced, "Bea, you're going to dine at your brother's restaurant with Embry. At least try to look nice."

_Ouch._

Beatrice frowned at Kim's comment. Frankly, she didn't care much for how she looked - her brother wouldn't mind and she was pretty sure Embry wouldn't care much either. It just annoyed her that Kim randomly came over to her house and then decided to dress her up. It was as if her best friend was only there to get her ready for a date or something.

"Here, wear this," Kim said, holding up a hanger that displayed a short, coral pink dress.

Beatrice sighed, "Its cold outside Kim. And I'd rather not be wearing anything revealing while walking outside in the middle of the night."

"Alright, fine. But at least wear a nice shirt," Kim suggested, rummaging through Beatrice's closet. After five minutes of searching she found a navy blue, frilly top.

Beatrice didn't want Kim to turn her closet upside down so she quickly took the clothes from her hands and went to put them on. After another half an hour of her best friend trying to doll her up, Beatrice was ready to leave.

However, Embry was late. She had been walking back and forth between the kitchen and the front door for the past fifteen minutes, waiting.

"He'll be here, I'm sure he just hit traffic or something," Kim said, trying to ease Beatrice. Yet, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the pack was up to something. Every time Jared was late, he would be scanning the territory based on Sam's orders. Of course, she'd always forgive him for being late (even if it was by three hours) but Beatrice was a different matter.

"He's my ride, Kim. At least he could have the decency of showing up on time and if not, telling me before hand that he'd be running late," hissed Beatrice. She was now twenty five minutes behind schedule; and if that wasn't nerve wrecking enough, Ty had already texted her four times asking if she'd left the house yet.

Minutes ticked by and Embry still hadn't showed up. Kim was becoming anxious herself, secretly praying this night would end well. Beatrice looked at her phone again to check the time… now she was a whole forty five minutes late.

Kim was trying to reach Embry at the time but after three voicemails and ten messages, things weren't looking good.

Beatrice's phone rang - it was Ty.

"_Hey, you reach Seattle yet?"_

She wanted to cry, "No… I'm still at the house."

"_Wait - What? I thought you'd be here by now. My shift is ending soon so…" _

She looked at Kim (who was trying to cheer her up) and answered, "My ride stood me up."

"_Dang. That sucks. So, do you think you'll still be coming or what?" _

Beatrice glanced at the clock and went to retrieve her car keys, "Yeah, I'll be there."

"_Good, I guess I'll see you in another hour then. Be safe." _

Beatrice nodded, "Yeah, see you soon."

Her conversation ended and she went to the garage, opening it. Kim was trailing behind her, wondering what she was doing.

"I'm going to Seattle."

Kim blanched, "B-but, that's dangerous Bea! At least wait for Embry a bit. I'm sure he's…"

"He's too busy to be my bodyguard, Kim. And if you're so worried about my safety, why don't you come along with me?" Beatrice offered, opening the front door of her car.

Kim shifted on her feet, "I - I would but I can't."

Beatrice blinked, waiting for her excuse.

"I have a date with Jared tonight."

She didn't even bother replying - her response was a slammed door. She quickly drove out of her driveway and onto the road without even looking back at Kim. Honestly, she didn't care anymore. Embry Call had ditched her. Her best friend was too preoccupied to spend time with her. And yet both of them wanted to interfere with her personal schedule.

_Why even bother? _

Beatrice saw raindrops hitting the car and almost cursed - rain was starting to pour. As mixed emotions clouded her vision, she drove past puddles and into the darkness. As she reached the stop sign, she heard a startling howl.

A wolf howl that felt too close and too real for comfort however, it provided another reason why she wanted to get out of here.

* * *

><p>AN: I know, I know. Embry totally ruined his chances but his reason will be explained in the next chapter! So please, don't scream at him XD (or Beatrice for that matter).

And yes, I know Kim is a bad friend right now (or seems like one) but at the same time, she wants Beatrice to really like Embry. She just needs to work on the whole "I'm going to bail out on best friend to be with my boyfriend" scenario. But, that happens sometimes. And Beatrice is definitely irritated by it.

... anybody else think their friendship is a bit weird? Handholding, winking, date-like planning, I wonder when Beatrice will take the hint. :P

Let's see another grand Embry entrance in the next chapter~

Review, review, review! :)


	12. feed me

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Feed Me<em>

* * *

><p>[12]<p>

The drive to Seattle was taking longer than Beatrice had expected. Plus, the pouring rain and frequent clashes of thunder didn't make the drive any easier. She had been driving for that past hour and a half in this storm while her brother had left her three voicemails already, probably wondering what was taking her so long.

Truth be told, she wasn't exactly the best driver so her slow speed combined with Mother Nature made Seattle seem much further away. But, the pursuit to see her brother and the constant reminder of her growling stomach, telling her that she was hungry, made the drive durable.

After another forty five minutes of horrible driving, she had finally reached her destination: Seattle, Washington.

Her brother's diner was just around the corner now but the parking lot was so crowded that she had to park nearly a block away. She managed to parallel park along the side walk (with great difficulty) and decided to text her brother that she was a walking distance away.

Opening her car door, she jumped out and felt rain hit her head. Annoyed by the weather, she leaned into the car again, looking for an umbrella. Usually, her mom kept one in the back seat or on the floor of the passenger seat but after scanning the car, she cursed; there was no umbrella. She'd have to walk down a block in the cold rain to meet her brother… great.

Left without a choice, she shut the door and locked the car. She took fast steps while walking, feeling cold in her flimsy blue t-shirt and wet jeans. She was halfway there went she felt something strange - she turned around, realizing a figure was following her. Paranoid, she increased her pace, her hair becoming soaking wet while her clothes left her with little protection. After a couple of minutes she looked over her shoulder again, only to feel pure shocks run through her body; that person was still following her…

She didn't have a purse. She didn't any weapon. Heck, she didn't even have an umbrella. So why was this stranger trailing behind her for that past half of a block?

"Hey! Wait up!"

She didn't look back this time, she pretended to ignore him.

"I said wait!"

Frightened, anxiety now filled her system. Her previous fast walk turned into a quick sprint. She just had to turn the corner before reaching restaurant. Fuelled by fear, she ran.

She was almost there; her clothes were soaked, her hair felt cool against her head, and her jeans stuck to her skin. She had worn converse underneath her outfit but they were now seeped with water as her socks got wet. But that didn't matter; she needed to just get the restaurant, fast.

_Almost there…_

She felt the smell of the food hit her as she reached the back door of the diner. She was just about to open it when someone yanked her arm back.

She screamed.

"Whoa, hey, it's me. Calm down Bee."

She took a deep breath, instantly realizing who had been stalking her.

"Embry Call - what the hell were you thinking?" Beatrice hissed, shaken by the current events.

Embry rubbed her arms to comfort her, "I was following you for the past block and wanted to catch up but you kept running ahead. I didn't mean to scare you."

Beatrice shivered. Her skin was ice cold by now but Embry was somehow radiating heat. She wanted to go inside, where it was warm, but Embry had engulfed her into a hug instead. She froze.

"Bee, I'm so sorry. I'll explain everything. You see, Sam called me out on some… business and - "

He was interrupted by the back door suddenly opening. From the inside came none other than her brother Ty who was wearing his marble white chef uniform to greet them.

"Bea, is that you? What are you doing? Come inside," he said, ignoring the fact that his little sister was currently embracing some unknown male.

Beatrice untangled herself from Embry and went inside as he followed her. Once they were in, Ty immediately offered them towels.

"Dry yourselves up good. I know we're in the kitchen here but I don't want an excess of water to cause any accidents," Ty explained, leaving them to assist the other chefs.

Beatrice unfolded her towel and scrubbed her face first, then arms, then legs. Her hair was still dripping wet as she continued to dry her body.

"Here, let me help," Embry said, placing his towel gently on top of her head. Before she could even question him, he started to dry her hair. Beatrice tried to move away but he was practically holding her head in place, playing with her wet locks of hair as he expertly wiped them clean. He would've finished too, if it weren't for Ty interrupting them… again.

"I have your table ready, please follow me," he instructed, allowing Embry to go ahead before he gave Beatrice a glare. She winced. First, she had been nearly three hours late, then she was caught hugging a boy, and now her brother walked in on another moment of intimacy… oh, she'd better have some good explanation for all this.

Professionally, he seated and gave them their menus before announcing that a waitress named Lily would be serving them.

"I'll be with you guys after you're done dining, the place is a bit full right now due to the storm but hopefully, we'll time to… catch up," he said, looking directly at Embry before walking away.

Beatrice hid her face behind the menu, feeling embarrassed. Yes, she had finally gotten to see her brother and eat in his fabulous diner but this was not how she had planned things to be.

Not at all.

* * *

><p>"Hi, my name is Lily and I'll be your server today," said the peppy blond that appeared at their table. She was wearing a standard waitress uniform but something about her red high heels and bright red lipstick made her seem… flirty.<p>

"Hey Lily, I'll have a root beer," Embry ordered. She nodded, smiling widely before replying: "Excellent choice, sir."

"And Bea would like -

"I want a coke. No ice," Beatrice spoke, finishing up Embry's incomplete sentence. Lily smiled at her too before leaving.

Embry went back to looking at the menu while Beatrice chewed her lips. She had been thinking about the same thing every since she had gotten here. Her lips burned to ask the question.

_How did he find me?_

"H-how did you find me?"

Embry blinked, "What do you mean?"

Beatrice fiddled with her menu, "You were supposed to pick me up but you bailed on me. And then you suddenly pop out of nowhere - it makes no sense Embry."

"What's there to make sense of? We're here now Bee," Embry replied. He knew this wasn't any excuse for ditching her or making her drive for nearly two hours but what else could he say? Sam had wanted him to run rounds in the forest.

"You stood me up," Beatrice stated, glaring at him.

"You make it sound like we're dating, Bee," Embry teased, enjoying the look of surprise cross her face.

"Friends don't abandon other friends," Beatrice hissed, annoyed by Embry nonchalance. Also, she couldn't help but think of Kim, because Kim _had _essentially left her stranded.

Embry was about to reply when Lily came back with their drinks.

"Here's your root beer. And here's your coke with no ice," she said, "have we decided want we want to order yet?"

Embry looked baffled but Beatrice spoke first, "I'll have the lobster ravioli with garlic bread."

"Good choice ma'am," Lily beamed, jotting down the order. She then turned to Embry who was haphazardly reading the menu.

"Uh…" he trailed off, turning the pages, "Do you think I could just get a burger with some fries?"

Lily giggled as Beatrice hid a smile. The point of Ty's restaurant was to contradict - the restaurant itself looked like an authentic diner but it served gourmet food from around the world without breaking a customer's price range. But besides that, it also served the regular greasy diner food.

"Of course you may, sir. _Excellent_ choice. About time someone ordered something… classic around here," Lily winked, taking their menus before storming off.

Beatrice watched how Lily's walk gathered attention from various males around the room but when she turned to Embry, his eyes were glued onto her. She froze.

"Bee… I'm sorry. I've been a bad friend but hear me out," he pleaded; she nodded, "Okay. I was helping another close friend of mine."

Beatrice blinked, "Who?"

"You remember Jacob Black?" Embry asked.

She nodded, "The one that has missed a lot of school?"

"Wait… you noticed that?" Embry inquired, slightly jealous that Beatrice was concerned over his friend's wellbeing. But she just nodded in response - how could you not notice? Everyone in school knew; teachers, students, faculty, _everyone. _Jacob Black had disappeared. Some students in the school even _prayed _for him return but rumor has it, he ran off with some chick.

"Yeah, well, he's… a bit lost right now," Embry explained, "He's head over heels for this girl named Bella whose boyfriend left her nearly four months ago. He claims to be in love but… it's complicated. We've been trying to convince him to come back to school but he's too busy, or at least he thinks he is."

Beatrice nodded, understanding how Embry felt. Kim had left her too (for her crazy love life) but that was no excuse to forget about her best friend. Beatrice suddenly felt comforted and a bit sorry by Embry's disclosure.

"So… is he ever going to come back?" Beatrice wondered, watching how Embry's facial expression fell.

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>The food arrived, along with Lily.<p>

"Okie dokie, so here is your ravioli with your garlic bread sticks," she plated, "and here is _your _delicious hamburger with fries."

Beatrice gave her a small smile as Embry replied, "Thanks, it looks good."

Lily smirked, "Call me if you need anything…"

She trailed off before winking again, leaving their table in a rather provocative way. Beatrice didn't even understand how she could _walk _like that, especially in those heels of hers. But it didn't matter, her food was calling her.

They ate in silence, stuffing themselves. They both had been hungry and the storm had tired them out - Especially Embry, who had _ran _to Seattle while chasing Beatrice's car in his wolf form. Luckily, she hadn't noticed anything.

Beatrice was eating her fourth ravioli when she looked up to see Embry had finished his entire meal. His gigantic burger and stack of fries were completely gone; it was as if he had licked the plate clean. She frowned, wondering how he managed to finish so fast. Heck, he must have been hungry.

"You're done?"

Embry titled his head, "What?"

"You ate your meal so quickly, were you that hungry?" Beatrice questioned.

Embry grinned, "Yeah. I was pretty starved. To tell you the truth, I still kind of am hungry."

Beatrice looked at her meal; she still had seven pieces of ravioli left that she knew she couldn't finish. In fact, she was chewing her fourth one. Stabbing her fork in her dinner, she quickly finished her fifth ravioli before offering her fork to Embry. He looked at her, confused.

"Eat it, I'm full," she whispered, holding up her fork near his face.

He shook his head 'no', "Bee, I'm not eating your dinner."

"But I'm already full from five raviolis and… at least you could help me finish. I don't like wasting food. Plus, you're still hungry so…" she trailed off, trying to find excuses. Frankly, she didn't want to sound like she _cared _that he still had an empty stomach but the way she was holding up her fork, offering her own dinner with a slightly red face made it very clear to Embry.

He didn't even think twice before biting down on her fork. She was startled by his sudden movement. They both made eye contact. He swallowed.

_Feed me._

"Tastes good, Bee," he whispered, watching her fingers tremble. She quickly stabbed another ravioli and offered it to him again, he accepted. Each time, they held eye contact for what seemed to be like eternity.

After a while, only two raviolis were left and she was about to feed him again when Ty appeared.

"I'm guessing dinner was satisfying," Ty commented, watching his sister freeze underneath his stare. He couldn't believe his - it baby sister was _hand feeding _this idiot her own dinner, the dinner that he has specially prepared.

Embry cleared his throat before quoting Lily, "Yeah. Excellent choice."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, this is going to be a long author's note so -takes a deep breath- here I go:

First of all, I would like to clarify that this story takes place during _New Moon._ Which is why Jacob isn't in the story but is mentioned along with his 'affair' with Bella. And before you get excited, Jacob will _not _be in this story, he'll be mentioned but he's so lovestruck by Bella in _New Moon _that I don't really think he'd care about Embry and his imprint. Besides, Embry can now focus on Beatrice and vice versa as they both connect over their loss of best friends.

Also, I think it was mentioned in _Eclipse _that Jared had imprinted on Kim. I'm not sure if he had actually imprinted on her during that particular book, but their relationship seemed to be pretty strong when it was mentioned. Therefore, I made Jared imprint on Kim much earlier in this story 'cause the setting does occur in _New Moon. _Plus, this early imprinting situation helps with character relationships and plot development. So yes, do forgive for the confusion but this is how I planned it to be.

AND, now I can squeal about how much I love this chapter :D I love their cute moments and I hoped you did as well. I do have to say, I feel sorry for Ty ~ he keeps interrupting Bea/Em moments! Haha. Poor guy, no older brother wants to see that from his little sister. I know it's also weird that Beatrice entered the restaurant via its back door but that's just part of her usual routine when visiting.

Thank you so much for the reviews in the previous chapter as well! I'd like to address wolfhappiness: thank you for reviewing and helping me fix my geographical mistakes XD I didn't realize Seattle was that far away from La Push but I made Beatrice's drive seem longer in this chapter so hopefully, that fixes the problem. :P Also, Port Angeles may be closer but the drive home from Seattle to La Push will be very interesting for Beatrice and Embry ~ hopefully they won't get stuck in the storm.

Review, review, review! :)


	13. promise me everything

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Promise me everything<em>

* * *

><p>[13]<p>

Beatrice quickly put her fork down as her brother brought a chair over. He sat at the edge of the table in a two person booth, leaving her to feel really claustrophobic by the seating arrangement.

"So, how have you been Bea?" Ty asked, sparking up a conversation.

Beatrice nervously played with her fingers, "I've been good."

"And school?"

She gulped, "It's… been stressful. The amount of homework has been increasing like crazy the past few days. But, I've got it under control."

"And what about the students? Are they still mean to you?"

Beatrice looked up to see Embry giving her a confused look. Of course he wouldn't know - he _doesn't _know. He doesn't know all of the comments people pass about her or all the rumors flying about. Embry Call doesn't know a single problem in her life… yet at the very moment, Ty was changing that.

"Who's been mean to you?" Embry interrupted, his eyes screaming with concern.

Beatrice looked between Ty and Embry; Ty was curiously glancing at her, waiting for her answer while Embry seemed to be shaken by anger. Both of them were worried and wanted to know. Who had been mean to her? Well...

"It's nothing, really. High schoolers are just cruel sometimes, that's all," she mumbled, hoping the answer would satisfy both males.

"Bullshit. When I was in high school nobody ever bullied anyone. You need to stand up for yourself, Bea," Ty argued, annoyed by the thought that idiotic teenagers picked on his baby sister for no apparent reason.

"Ty, _please_," Beatrice whispered. She wanted to desperately change the topic - she didn't want Embry to hear this.

On the other hand, Embry was staring at the table. His eyes were glued to his empty plate as his emotions raced throughout his body. He didn't understand, how in the world could anyone hurt Beatrice like that? _His _Beatrice. He was supposed to protect her and yet…

"They hurt you," Embry said, his fingers clenching into fists.

Beatrice blinked, "N-no. I mean, I'm sort of used to it by now."

"Bea, has it really been that bad? Considering you just made it sound like it's a part of your daily routine," Ty commented, watching his sister fidget in her seat.

Her ears soaked up Ty's remarks but her eyes were pointed to the person sitting across from her, the person who shouldn't be involved in all of this but now is. And yet, he wasn't even looking at her. He was looking anywhere but her, as if he felt ashamed or guilty. It made her sick.

Feeling trapped, she swiftly slide out of her seat and excused herself to the bathroom. She needed to get away, fast. And it seemed that the girls' bathroom was the only place she could escape this hostility.

* * *

><p>Ty sighed, watching his sister run off. He knew she had problems with people making snide comments but didn't expect this.<p>

"You know anything about this, lover boy?" Ty asked, forcing Embry to snap out of his raged thoughts.

Embry shook his head 'no', "I'm as shocked as you are."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Ty murmured, a sarcastic bite following his sentence.

Embry elaborated, "No, I'm serious. I never knew she was being bullied, I swear."

"Really now? You expect me to believe that the person who spends time in school with her doesn't notice all the pain she has to go through? Look, I don't joke when it involves my sister. In fact, have you even considered that _you _might be the cause for all her suffering?" Ty hissed, glaring at the boy.

"What do you mean?" Embry wondered, feeling worse than before.

Ty scoffed, "My baby sister has complained about you. She complains how you irritate her and whatnot -which I don't mind- I mean, girls tend to complain about everything. But then she would tell me how people talk about her behind her back and every single time it would happen, you were somehow involved too."

Embry looked confused.

"Look kid, my sister seems to like you - which is great and all - but you seem like the popular type. You seem like the guy that everybody knows. And when that guy starts to hang out with someone who is rather quiet and… _simple_, people start to notice. People start to talk. You get what I'm saying?" Ty explained.

Embry nodded.

"Good. 'Cause I think that my baby sister gets picked on because someone like you decides to sweep her off her feet and leave the world to wonder: what the hell. And I know this stuff because I was in high school too you know, not that long ago. I was that happy-go-lucky, friendly guy that everyone knew. I had my fair share of popularity but Beatrice isn't like that," Ty clarified.

Embry frowned, "So pretty much you think it's _my fault _that she gets ridiculed?"

"Yes and no. You may be one of the reasons why but… I don't know, kid. All I'm trying to say is that if you care for her, prove it. She shouldn't have to get hurt because you decided to like her. But let me make one thing clear: if you make her cry, you better run for your life," Ty finished, leaning against his chair.

Embry gave him a bitter smile, "Don't worry, sir. If I make her cry I think I'd kill myself first."

* * *

><p>Beatrice came back to the table, anxious. She hoped that the topic had passed and that Ty hadn't hurt Embry by now. Surprisingly, they had been talking about sports like civilized men - no fighting or swearing occurred. She couldn't believe it.<p>

_Embry Call is getting along with my brother. _

Ty noticed her first, "Took you long enough, Bea. Women and their time in the bathroom, I just don't get it."

"We like to keep ourselves clean," Beatrice smiled.

As a trio, they ended up having desserts and chatting about random stuff afterwards. The atmosphere around them was relaxed, chilled. It was as if they had never mentioned Beatrice's bully problems. She was thankful that all the tension has just evaporated in thin air but as the clock struck eleven, it was time to go.

Ty walked them to the backdoor, "Y'all be careful now, it's pretty dark and the drive is long."

"We'll be fine," Beatrice replied, hugging her brother. She strutted after Embry, who was a good few steps ahead of her, but stopped to wave her brother goodbye. Once they had departed, only silence lurked between her and her companion.

Embry didn't even look to see if she was following him, he just knew. He was trying to keep his cool and not do something drastic that would ruin the night for him.

_Have you even considered that you might be the cause for all her suffering?_

His jaw clenched as his pace increased.

_My sister seems to like you…_

He growled.

_She shouldn't have to get hurt because you decided to like her._

He was now on the verge of shifting, right there. He didn't want to let his mind get the best of him but what could he do? Ty's words were brutally honest - they were true.

He _hurt _her. He hurt his own imprint… again. God, why couldn't he do something right for once? Negative thoughts flowed throughout his body as he cursed.

Beatrice, however, didn't understand what was going on. She couldn't keep up with Embry; he was going way too fast and didn't even acknowledge her existence. He was fine before, when they were eating desserts and talking about the recent zombie movie, but now he was completely different. She didn't understand, so she called him instead.

"Embry, wait!"

He stopped on command. She finally reached him, breathless from all the running she had to do just to keep up.

"Y-you're going too fast," She stated, trying to catch her breath. Her hands clutched her knees as her heart rapidly raced.

He waited for her to calm down, watching her slowly recover. Once she did, she looked at him, her eyes slowly entrancing him again.

… And that's when he snapped.

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her close to him, his hands holding her chin up so she would look at him clearly as he demanded:

"Do you like me, Bee?"

Her lips quivered. Her brain was still trying to comprehend how close she was to him; her whole body was being pressed against his as he held her head in place. Her eyes screamed fear.

"W-what?"

He repeated, "Do you like me?"

Did she? Did she truly like him? Her eyes blinked hurriedly as her mind blackened.

_Do you like me?_

"… yes. Yes I do," she whispered.

Something flickered through his eyes but his facial expression remained the same.

"Trust me then," he ordered.

_Trust me. _

"Embry, we're already friends therefore I do trust you," she admitted, closing her eyes.

He didn't reply back. Instead, he just leaned his head against hers and they stayed like that, entangled in comfort before he spoke.

"Promise me you'll tell me whenever someone is bothering you. Promise me," he pleaded, his breath fanning across her face.

She slowly nodded, brushing her head against his.

After what seem like eternity, he finally let her go. His hands released her chin and reached for her wrist instead. After he held her, he safely guided her to the parked car. She quietly followed behind, stunned speechless by the moment that had just passed.

_Promise me, promise me everything. _

Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach as her heart was beating faster than it had before. She didn't get it. She didn't get why she was so… so flabbergasted.

Luckily, they reached the car faster than she had expected. Embry let go of her hand so she could unlock the car and hop into the driver's seat. She didn't want to drive but she had no choice. Embry had offered to drive instead but she wouldn't let him. She needed a distraction, even if it meant driving for the next three hours.

Turning on the radio, she buckled her seatbelt before reversing the car out of its parking spot. Embry looked out the window, trying to focus on what he could say to break this awkward silence.

"Bee, I had fun tonight," he announced, glancing at her.

She swiftly nodded, her hands clenching the steering wheel. Her eyes were trying to focus on the task that lay ahead of her but they couldn't. Her heart seemed to be having problems as well. Her stomach was practically fluttering.

And every time Embry Call looked at her, she felt blood rush to her face… what was happening? What was wrong with her? She didn't understand her body's odd reaction but one thing was sure: she wanted to go home, _now_.

Her driving was sloppy because her attention was shot, gone the second Embry had spoke to her. Yet, he didn't seem to notice any difference. He just stared out the window, watching the scenery change from inner city to pitch black forests.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" Embry inquired.

Beatrice could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears, "… why?"

"I just thought that maybe we could hangout, do you want to?" he reiterated.

_Yes. _

"N-no, I can't. I have to… to help my mom around the house," Beatrice replied, thinking of a random excuse. Her mind was sinking as she spoke.

"Right. Well, I guess we can meet up another time," Embry stated, giving her a small, goofy grin.

She bit her lips, terrified. Another time? There would be _another time? _No. She couldn't allow it. Her body was acting strangely enough when Embry was near or when he spoke or when he barely looked at her - therefore she had to make it stop.

She had to stop her puzzled thoughts, because Embry Call was not of her interest. He was a friend, just a friend.

Just a friend… right? Her internal conflicts continued as they reached La Push. The hours flew by as various songs played on the radio. Embry started giving her directions to his house when they were nearby.

Once she passed two stops signs and made a sharp right turn, she was at his house. He unbuckled his seat beat and turned towards her. She froze.

"Thanks Bee, have a nice weekend," he said, gently squeezing her hand before exiting the car. Once he was gone, she quickly sped away with her racing thoughts lurking along.

She didn't understand it. She didn't like Embry's sudden effect on her. She didn't like feeling… feeling _this._

Not one bit.

* * *

><p>AN: well, that was an eventful chapter. Various emotional moments that were very… _entertaining_ to write about. Either way, the tension between them is still there ~

Bea's having butterflies in her stomach and other symptoms of crushing on someone, haha. YES. Things will get interesting now (finally). And Ty, way to set their romance on fire - he practically sparked the match :) gotta love older brothers and their advice/threats. I don't know, I'm still debating whether or not Bea will go into denial about falling for Embry or just end up completely avoiding him at all costs, what do you think?

It's summer time now :D Review, review, review!


	14. green isn't even your color

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Green isn't even your color<em>

* * *

><p>[14]<p>

Beatrice got home late, _very _late. But her mind wasn't focusing on how she had broken her curfew or drove for nearly six hours to visit her brother. Nope, when she entered her house, she slowly climbed upstairs and collapsed into her bed - her thoughts revolving constantly around Embry Call.

… _Do you like me?_

She grabbed her pillow, shoving her face inside it. She wanted her heart to stop. Even when she closed her eyes, all she could see was his stupid, grinning face. She groaned, annoyed.

"For the first time you're home later than I am. Bravo."

She gasped, instantly sitting up straight, "Mom! I thought you were asleep."

"I got home about twenty ago," her mother explained, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh… so, you're not mad?" Beatrice winced, wondering why her mother hadn't grounded her yet. She came home around 3 am, which is not something you'd except from someone as time conscious as Beatrice.

Her mother chuckled, "No, I'm actually not. I guess it's because your brother called me before my shift at the hospital ended."

Beatrice took a sigh of relief, falling back into her pillow again. She could see from the corner of her eye that her mother still hadn't left yet. She was still standing there, her arms crossed.

"Ty also complained about you, he complained a lot actually," her mother said, peaking Beatrice's interest.

Beatrice scoffed, "What? For him I drove longer than I have in my whole life - in the pouring rain - and he _complains_?"

"He said, and I quote: 'she brought along with her an idiotic buffoon who nearly ate half the food in my restaurant'," her mother smirked.

Beatrice was now all ears, wanting to scream into her pillow. How could Ty mention Embry to her mom?

"You took _a boy _with you all the way down to Seattle?" her mother asked, her voice teasing.

Beatrice gulped, "He's just a friend, mom."

_Just a friend…_

She could feel her face heating up. Her lips were quivering. Her feelings were going haywire again thinking about Embry.

"Well, if he's just a friend, why don't you invite him for dinner tomorrow? He seems like a lovely boy," her mother suggested, watching her daughter instantly jerk upwards.

Beatrice countered, "No! I-I... I'm hanging out with, uh, Kim tomorrow."

Her mother shook her head, laughing softly, "Alright then, maybe some other time. Now get some sleep."

Her mother shut off the lights in her room and closed the door shut. Beatrice lay in her bed, staring at her ceiling. There were glow-in-the-dark stars hovering above her as she replayed dinner in her head over and over again. There were so many things she didn't know yet…

She sighed, realizing all her thoughts were being wasted on Embry. Without even changing out of her attire, she fell asleep.

However, even sleep couldn't stop Embry Call from bothering her in her dreams.

* * *

><p>The next day, Beatrice had been reading ahead for her history class when her phone rang. It was Kim.<p>

"_Bea, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have bailed on you and… gosh I don't know. I'm just so caught up with Jared, it's tiring." _

Beatrice sighed, "It's fine Kim. I wasn't alone anyways."

"_Oh! That's right, Embry went with you!" _

She frowned, "How do you know that?"

"_Uh, Jared might have said something but, you know how guys are. They can never keep anything a secret. But, that's beside the point; let's have a girl's day today. How about we go see a movie? _

Beatrice glanced at the clock; it was half past noon. She quickly agreed to Kim's offer and in about half an hour, Kim was ready to pick her up. They drove to the only theatre in town and decided to watch a chick flick.

During the movie, Beatrice couldn't help but cringe at what was happening. It was as if the main character's feelings were mocking her own.

"Oh gosh, isn't that romantic?" Kim whispered, melting at the sight of a kiss.

Beatrice nodded, "I guess."

"This reminds me when I started liking Jared - the butterflies, the longing stares, it's all so nostalgic," Kim babbled, smiling.

Beatrice blinked, "How… How does Jared make you _feel_, Kim?"

"It's kind of complicated, actually. When I started to have a crush on him, it was as if he wouldn't leave me alone - all of my thoughts and energy were just focused on him. It was frustrating, especially when he was dating other girls at that time. But, now that we're in a relationship, he makes me feel like, like I'm on top of the world. Absolutely special," Kim explained, titling her head.

Beatrice listened to her answer, feeling more worried afterwards. All the things that happened to Kim were happening to her - but Beatrice couldn't, she couldn't _like _Embry. It was impossible.

Her heart started racing again as her thoughts shifted. And for the next two hours, she completely zoned out while watching the movie.

* * *

><p>"That was a great movie, wasn't it?" Kim beamed, throwing away her popcorn.<p>

Beatrice nodded, trying to smile. She hadn't been really paying attention to the film; her thoughts were preoccupied with a certain new friend…a certain new friend that was calling her from across the room.

_Oh. My. God._

Kim noticed, "Hey, the guys are here too."

By the guys, she meant: Jared, Paul, Quil, and Embry. Beatrice wanted to cover her face in shame - how could it be possible that they ran into each other after seeing a completely different movie on completely different times? She knew it was a small town but it couldn't be _that _small.

She cringed when she noticed that whole gang of guys were walking towards them. And her stomach started to feel weird when she noticed Embry was looking at her. She felt nervous all of a sudden and turned away.

"Hey Bee, fancy seeing you here," Embry stated, grinning.

Beatrice tried not to frown, "There's only one theatre in town, Embry."

"Well, I'm thankful for that now. What movie did you girls see? We watched that zombie one, the one that Ty was talking about it last night," Embry said.

Beatrice blinked, "You went to see it? But, he said it sucked."

Quil butted into their conversation, wrapping his arm around Embry's shoulders, "Embry didn't even tell us that. He just wanted to see it 'cause your _fabulous_ brother recommended it. And then Em wouldn't shut up about how good the food was there - we almost got kicked out of the theatre 'cause of his nonstop babbling."

Embry glared at his friend, feeling embarrassed. Quil just laughed, trying to tell Beatrice about how much Embry had admired her brother. She couldn't help but feel warm inside, a small smile tugged her lips.

The entire group of friends was now chatting in the arcade section of the theatre: Kim was with Jared, Quil and Paul were having fun with the crane machine, and Embry was standing near Beatrice, sparking up a conversation.

"You wanna get out of here?" Embry asked, motioning his head towards the door.

Beatrice bit her lips, "Kim's my ride back home."

"I brought my car; I'll get you home safely. Besides, I think they'll be fine without us," Embry replied, shaking his car keys.

Beatrice looked at her friend who was giggling at her boyfriend. She felt bad about leaving but… would Kim really notice anyways? Her guilty thoughts lingered away as Embry grabbed a hold of her hand and swiftly dragged her out of the theatre.

She felt her face heat up. Thank god Embry wasn't looking her way or she'd be screwed. His hands were big, very masculine for someone her age. His body temperature was also incredibly hot, something she found strange. She wanted to know why but kept her mouth shut when she realized asking: why are you so hot? wasn't a good idea.

However, she was even more shocked when she saw that Embry's 'ride' - it was a motorcycle.

"This isn't a car, you lied," Beatrice accused him, yanking her hand out of his grasp.

Embry shrugged, "Would you've come if I said I brought something that's death on wheels?"

_Yes. _

"No. I'm not sitting on that thing," Beatrice stated, glaring. She stubbornly crossed her arms, making her stance.

Embry got on, turning on the engine, "Come on Bee, I promise you won't die. I helped build it myself."

Beatrice eyes widened, "You build motorcycles?"

"Jacob did, I was just his assistant," Embry explained. He threw a helmet at her and she caught it, looking terrified.

"I owe you a long ride, Bee," Embry admitted, patting the seat behind him.

Beatrice felt her thoughts melt - Embry Call was offering to steal her away for the day, what was she supposed to do? In order for him to not see her steady blush, she quickly put on the helmet and hesitated while sitting behind him.

He was so tall; people wouldn't even see her behind him. She was too nervous to hold onto him so she held the edge of the seat instead, hoping he wouldn't notice. But when he amped up the speed or made a quick turn, her arms instantly latched onto his waist, her eyes squeezing shut from fear. Embry, on the other hand, was enjoying himself like crazy.

They drove for a very long time as the green forests surrounded them. It wasn't until Embry took a short cut that they ended up at their destination - the beach.

Beatrice took off her helmet, feeling light headed. Embry asked if she was okay and after receiving an answer, he grabbed her hand and they began walking along the beach again.

"Since we got to know stuff about each other last time, I figured we'd come back here and do the same thing," Embry reasoned.

Beatrice nodded, "What do want to know?"

"Can you cook like your brother?" Embry grinned, kicking the sand.

Beatrice replied, "My specialty is only breakfast. I cook breakfast on the weekends for my mom and me; otherwise Ty is the talented one in the kitchen."

"I wanna taste your cooking," Embry said, squeezing her hands. Beatrice bit her lips, tensing. He was teasing her, that's all. If only her hormones could understand that.

Beatrice looked away, "What are your other talents, besides building motorcycles."

"Well, I'm pretty darn good with the ladies," Embry laughed, goofing off. Beatrice frowned at his answer. She felt something tug her heart as a bad feeling swept across her.

"If you're such a womanizer… do you even like anyone?" Beatrice hissed.

Embry suddenly stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "I do. I do like somebody. I've liked her for a while now."

Something stung Beatrice by his response. She felt hurt, as if somebody had stabbed her heart out.

"But I'm nowhere near her league. And I don't think I can ever escape the friend zone either," Embry mumbled, staring at the sea.

Now she just felt moody. His words pierced her in a strange way as if she was feeling, feeling… Beatrice gasped, realizing she was feeling jealous. _Jealous? _Over that fact that Embry Call _liked _someone? How ludicrous.

_Green isn't even your color _

She quickly tried to get rid of her envious thoughts when Embry interrupted her.

"What about you? You like anybody, Bee?"

She instantly flushed. A lump got caught in her throat as she tried to remain calm.

_Do you like me? _

"Y-yes. I… I _like _someone too," she slowly responded. Embry jerked his head towards her, watching her fidget.

His voice instantly became darker, "Who?"

"Don't worry, he's out of my league as well," she repeated. Embry became tense; anger suddenly flowed through his body.

He cursed, "That _asshole_. How could he not notice _you_?"

Beatrice shrugged.

"Well, I hope you're satisfied with that idiot," Embry muttered, feeling crushed.

Beatrice frowned, "And I hope you're happy with _her_."

Both of them stopped talking. The conversation made them feel bothered and annoyed, yet they kept walking, thinking about the envy that clouded their minds. Both were jealous but oblivious - and both were still holding hands as their thoughts raced in a negative direction.

Oh dear.

* * *

><p>AN: somebody is j-e-a-l-o-u-s. :D haha, those two are hopeless. Also, anybody else think Embry is a tease?

More character progression in this chapter and we actually get to see Beatrice _accept _her feelings for Embry. Now if both of them could just admit they like each other instead of creating unwanted drama… whoops. Fear not; I'm currently writing the next chapter so expect an epic confession of feelings by... a certain someone ~!

Thanks for the lovely reviews X3 partyrock88: hey there, thanks for commenting ^^ I'm glad you liked my writing style but no, I'm not from the South. I'm stuck here in the Midwest :P I just figured "y'all" would be something that Ty would say - it fits his character.

Something random but, how are you guys liking this new 'image manager' thing on fanfic? I spent a lot of time on creating my cover but I'm sad you can't see it clearly XD it bums me out…

SO review, review, review!


	15. damn you

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Damn you<em>

* * *

><p>[15]<p>

The weekend went by fast, except Embry had been grumpy during all of it. After Beatrice's declaration that she liked a complete asshole, he felt like punching a wall or shifting. But, it was a Monday morning and he was listening to Quil's blasted advice instead.

"So what if she likes someone? She's your _imprint. _Just tell her you're head over heels for her and then just throw her up against the wall and kiss her," Quil explained, trying to cheer his friend up.

Embry growled, "I can't just confess that I like her. I've worked hard enough to be her friend and I don't want to suddenly screw everything up."

"Dude, you may have messed up a lot but if you haven't noticed, she always ends up forgiving you. Your 'Bee' is a softy at heart," Quil stated.

Embry frowned, "Forget it, she'll hate me."

"She's your imprint; she can't just cut you off. You need to take a risk now Embry, either that or lose her to some douche bag," Quil argued. He knew his friend had the guts to do anything, but it was time for him to get out of the friend zone and man up to his true feelings.

Embry Call needed to confess his love for Beatrice, today.

"It's now or never, Em," Quil suggested, watching his friend tense up.

Embry slowly nodded, "Fine. I'll tell her at lunch."

* * *

><p>Beatrice closed her locker, suddenly feeling lonely. For the past few days, Embry would always wait by her locker in the morning but he wasn't there today. He must have been busy… with some <em>other <em>girl.

_Damn you._

Her jealousy got the best of her this morning as she walked to class, grouchy. But just as she was about the turn the corner, someone yanked her back. She whipped around, finding her best friend glare at her.

"How could you not tell me?" Kim demanded, holding her friend's arm.

Beatrice flinched, "What are you talking about?"

"You, you _like _someone!" Kim argued, squeezing Bea's arm.

Beatrice scowled, "Who told you? Jared?"

"Oh don't bring him into this; he's just got a big mouth. Back to the point - you like somebody," Kim reiterated.

Beatrice freed her arm, "It doesn't even matter. He's way out of my league and... and he drives me crazy."

"Sounds like love, darling," Kim teased.

Beatrice frowned, "he's a complete goofball, actually."

"Are you ever going to tell me who it is? It doesn't sound like this crush is going away anytime soon," Kim analyzed, watching her best friend freeze.

Beatrice knew it was just a crush; just a spasm of stupid feelings and hormones all centered around one person. Surely, it would go away soon - it _had _to. Besides, it's not like her crush felt the same way either, he liked someone else. Someone _better _than her.

"Bea, please tell me," Kim persuaded, touching her friend's shoulder.

_Might as well admit it…_

Beatrice closed her eyes, "I like Embry Call."

* * *

><p>Embry sat in his English, trying to think of ways he could properly tell Beatrice about his feelings. He kept jotting down ideas but eventually, he ended up writing a pathetic speech.<p>

_Beatrice, I know we've been friends for some time now but there is something you don't know about me. _

He cringed, realizing that was probably the understatement of the year.

_I can be stupid at times, reckless. I don't know how to control my mouth. I'm not good with organization … yet you still seem to stick with me, like glue._

Like glue? He was more like a lost puppy hopelessly following her around, begging to seek attention.

_You're amazing. You're smart, you love your family, you are always prepared, your independent, your stubborn (which can be hard to deal with sometimes but, it's still an attractive trait) you're undeniably cute and you can cook a great breakfast. _

Embry scrunched up the sheet of paper that had his speech on it and crumpled it into a ball. There was no way he could tell her all this_. _Hell, he couldn't even _read _half the stuff he was saying. Annoyed, he threw the crumpled sheet of paper at the guy sitting in front of him.

Quil turned around, feeling something hit the back of his neck. He grabbed the thrown object as Embry scowled at his desk. Quil opened the crumpled piece of paper only to read that last line. It said:

_All of this is true - along with my genuine feelings. I know this may seem a bit sudden but… I, Embry Call, have fallen for your charms; Beatrice, will you go out with me? _

Quil snickered, amused by the fact that his social friend couldn't tell the girl of his dreams his emotions. Instead, he wrote a freakin' monologue. What a marshmallow.

"Will you stop laughing?" Embry hissed, glaring at his friend.

Quil smirked, "Dude, you're whipped. What the hell is this? A secret admirer letter or something?"

"I was trying to be honest," Embry mumbled, leaning back into his chair.

Quil rolled his eyes, "Honest, not creepy. You just listed out all her good traits then proposed to ask her on a date, where are your feelings put into this? This just seems like you observe her too much."

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to say then?" Embry barked, annoyed by the fact that his friend was giving him criticism on a speech that he spent the entire first period writing.

Quil responded, "Admit you like her - tell her bluntly and clearly and then wait for her reaction. That's all you can do, buddy. Don't confuse her with your constant touching or compliments; just be straightforward about your feelings. Be a man."

_Don't be a tease_

Embry sighed, "What if she doesn't like me?"

Quil didn't reply back this time because he didn't know what to say. Sure, Embry could easily fess up his confession but after it's made, it would all depend on Beatrice how this would end. It was a huge gamble. She could either accept or reject him.

He was about to give his moping friend some more confident advice when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket - he had gotten a text message. It was from Kim regarding Beatrice's so called crush… instantly, a cheeky grin broke out onto his face.

"Don't worry, lover boy. Just go with the flow and expect the best," Quil concluded, secretly amazed by how well things were now playing out. Embry liked Beatrice, Beatrice liked Embry, and yet both thought their crushes liked some other exclusive person… wow. Talk about high school drama.

Embry, however, was worried. If his… his verbal _announcement _of feelings ruined something in his current relationship with Bea then he would run off, howling all the way to Canada probably.

_But, if she says yes then…_

* * *

><p>The first three periods of classes went by smoothly for Beatrice. She had taken consistent notes and even finished part of her homework. Her test scores were excellent and she felt pleased that things in school were going fairly well. However, when she arrived to lunch she felt her happy bubble pop.<p>

Nobody was there- which is bizarre because usually she was the last one to arrive at her crowded table. And across from where she usually sat, she found a bundle of flowers. A colored arrangement of tulips.

Confused, she sat down and lightly touched the flowers. She was distracted by their scent and texture that she didn't notice a certain wolf boy approach her. It wasn't until his shadow hovered above her that she looked up; it was Embry, standing with his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

"Hey Beatrice," he said, greeting her carefully.

She nodded in return, not liking the way he said her full name. Ever since they had been 'friends' he always called her Bee but not today, today everyone was out of their usual character.

She picked up the tulips, "Where is everyone?"

"Uh… look, that's not important right now," Embry stated, nervous.

She blinked, "Why not?"

"Because I have something important to tell you," Embry replied, looking at her with a serious expression that didn't suit him well. She slowly nodded, watching him sit down across from her.

"Do you like the flowers?" Embry asked, pointing to the tulips.

Beatrice felt her cheeks warm, "Yes, tulips are one of my favorite flowers. They actually represent a declaration of love, very symbolic."

"Oh, that's… fitting. I got them for you 'cause you're a great friend," Embry rambled, watching Beatrice slightly frown by his statement.

_I got them for you 'cause you're a great friend_

He cleared his throat.

… _Don't be a tease, idiot _

Gathering all his nerves, he started again, "W-what I meant is you… you are a great friend and a good person, therefore please hear me out."

She froze, expecting the worst.

"Beatrice, I like you."

Her heart seemed to stop as her eyes widened at his claim. She even almost dropped the flowers she was gently holding.

_I like you _

"Embry… I… I know you _like _me," she repeated, remembering the situation after they had dined at Ty's restaurant.

Embry shook his head, "No. You're misunderstanding me. I like you … more than a friend would."

_Oh._

"To be honest, I've always liked you. I tried to impress you, get to know you, spend time with you but I guess I'm too late. I know you like someone else but… please, give me a chance," Embry whispered, closing his eyes.

Beatrice felt her lips quiver, "… why should I? You could be toying with me and besides, since when does Embry Call like one of the most hated girls in this school?"

"You mean to say that you don't trust me," Embry concluded from her rebuttal, a sad smile gracing his face.

_I do trust you._

"I do trust you, but… but this doesn't just _happen. _You can't like me," Beatrice argued, shaking the bundle of flowers.

Embry frowned, "And why the hell not? I've liked you the moment I saw you. And I felt like an idiot because I had insulted you in front of a whole cafeteria and you… you just looked right past me before walking away. It was all so _enchanting._"

Beatrice could feel her heart beat thumping in her head. She probably stopped breathing all together. This couldn't be happening. This _isn't _happening. She was waiting for some secret camera or a well directed April fools prank to be revealed but nothing came. Absolutely nothing.

"Go out with me, Bee."

_I like you_

She felt her jaw go slack as her eyes rapidly wandered across the room. She cleared her throat before speaking, "I already like someone."

Embry felt his insides crush from rejection, "Well, who's the lucky boy then?"

She wanted to laugh, "He's an idiot. A goofball. Yet, he's kind and so open hearted to everything. Sure, he confuses me and sometimes gets on my nerves but I always end up forgiving him."

"He's lucky to have you," Embry said, forcing a grin on his face. Deep down, he felt as if someone had ripped his heart out and set it to burn.

Beatrice blinked, "You, you still don't know?"

"… No. Not really."

Beatrice suddenly threw the bundle of flowers aside. A scowl graced her face as she retorted, "You're really stupid, you know that?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, feeling his self esteem break. He didn't even care that she was mad at him or that she was glaring fatally. Her rejection hurt him enough already.

She snapped, "It's you! You're the one!"

Embry slowly looked up, his mind still trying to process what she was trying to say. A blank expression was painted onto his face. He was still oblivious as Beatrice lost all her patience.

"You're the one I like, Embry Call."

* * *

><p>AN: This is probably the worst spot to cut off this chapter but, what can I say, I like cliffhanger endings ^^

Somehow this chapter was difficult to write - I guess because everyone was so out of character and their feelings were on edge by the whole 'teenage drama' thing. Though, I love Quil's advice XD "Just throw up her against the wall and kiss her" oh dear, imagine if Embry _actually _did that…

So, what did you think of Embry's confession? And Bea's? haha, they're so cute. But, I don't blame Bea for suddenly exploding at him, screaming her feelings in his face. I do think she'll be thoroughly embarrassed afterwards, especially after seeing his reaction. Oh well. Poor Embry is still trying to decode what she just said. Silly boys. :P

And thank you for all the lovely reviews ~! I gotta say I love my anonymous reviewers. They seem so enthusiastic about this story. Heehee.

Yay for tulips? X3 review, review, review!


	16. make the first move

I don't own anything.

_No Silly Business_

* * *

><p><em>Make the first move<em>

* * *

><p>[16]<p>

Embry dropped his backpack near the front door of his house as he went to sit on the sofa. No one was home besides him, leaving silence to linger around. Once he sat down, he started to reflect on his day.

_You're the one I like, Embry Call_

Beatrice's words were playing on repeat inside his head. When she first blurted out her feelings, he thought he might be going insane. He thought he heard her wrong. He just didn't believe her. But the look on her face after she confessed made it crystal clear that she was dead serious. And either he was too slow to react or she was too flustered, Beatrice ended up quickly excusing herself from the table and running off.

He leaned into his seat, closing his eyes. The whole day he was zoned out. The entire pack had even congratulated him but he was too paralyzed to do anything. Frankly, he didn't know what to do now…

_Make the first move_

He gulped. Embry knew it was hard to like someone but wasn't it even harder to have a good relationship? How could he do that, especially with a girl like Bea? Instead of excitement, worry began to fill his head after learning about her feelings.

What… What if he hurt her more as a boyfriend than just a friend? He groaned, not understanding why he was so confused and frustrated by this whole situation. The only way he could calm down was to talk this out with Bea…

He jumped up, having a light bulb moment. Instantly, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Beatrice's number (secretly thanking Kim for giving it to him) and waited as the phone rang. And at the moment, Embry Call had never been this nervous over a simple phone call.

_Come on Bee, pick up _

The phone kept ringing, as if it was almost taunting him.

_Pick up _

He started to pace around, getting his blood to flow. Feeling anxious as seconds passed by.

_Pick up _

The line on the other end suddenly clicked as his breath stopped, waiting for her reply. He froze.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Beatrice answered, slightly hesitant by the anonymous number she had seen.<p>

"… _H-Hey, Bee, it's me." _

Her eyes widened as she almost dropped the phone, "Embry?"

"_The one and only."_

She started walking around the room, her voice instantly becoming softer on the phone, "very funny."

The tension loomed between their phone call as she waited for his reply. She could hear his breathing on the other end - it felt as if he was standing right behind her, whispering in her ear.

"_Look… I want to talk with you about, you know, what just happened."_

She bit her lip, "We are talking, Embry."

"_No, that's not what I meant. I mean… I want to talk to you in person." _

Beatrice blinked, "Oh?"

"_Yeah… Look, Bee, I know I kind of suck at this but, have dinner with me tonight." _

Her jaw dropped, "A-are you asking me on a d-date?"

"_I guess I am." _

Her heart suddenly was on the verge of melting, "It's a school night, Embry."

"_What's your point? We won't even be out that late." _

Beatrice closed her eyes, bewildered. What was he doing to her? She couldn't just drop all her homework and run away with him. Besides, it was only Monday and he could postpone their date until the weekend.

She sighed, "I need some time."

"_Alright, I'll pick you up in an hour then." _

She nodded before quickly hanging up. Instantly, she dashed towards her closet, trying to find something suitable to wear. However, she realized this was harder than it seemed. Was it a formal dinner or casual dinner? Would they get ice cream afterwards? Would he pay for dinner? Or was it a fast food type of meeting?

Thousands of questions drilled her head as she stared at her clothes. She was currently wearing some comfy pajamas as her eyes landed on a floral dress - it was perfect for any occasion. Thanking whoever bought her that dress, she went to change. After fixing her hair and putting on a jean jacket, she checked herself in the mirror one last time before she went to put on her shoes.

_Would he even care for her appearance?_

Shaking her head, she went downstairs and waited. And after fifteen minutes of pacing, her date managed to show up exactly on time.

* * *

><p>Embry was dressed in a nice white t-shirt and some faded jeans as he held the car door open for Beatrice, waiting for her to get in. She looked really pretty, to the point where he had to force himself to stop ogling at her legs - it wasn't his fault, this was the first time he'd seen her wear a dress.<p>

After she got in, he went to sit in the driver's seat, "So, where do you want to eat today?"

"I'm fine with fast food," Beatrice answered, buckling her seatbelt. She didn't _really _want some junky, greasy food after all the time she had spent dressing up but it was a school night and she didn't really want to break Embry's budget either.

"Fast food? What type of cheap date do you think I am?" Embry teased, watching her blush in response. He was thankful that she was being considerate but he wanted their first date to be meaningful. He decided to take her to the finest, local diner instead.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Beatrice spoke, "Embry, we really don't have to eat here. I… I'm fine with anything else."

Embry frowned, "You do think I'm a cheap date. Look Bee, this place has good food. Trust me."

Beatrice didn't argue any further. She just followed Embry into the restaurant where they were quickly seated and started browsing through menu.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked, turning pages.

Embry looked at her, "Uh… well, I wanted to talk about us."

"Okay," she replied, scanning the menu items.

Embry sighed, "Bee, I like you and you like me. But we keep running around in circles, you get what I'm saying?"

She nodded, closing her menu. Embry grabbed her hand, "You do know what this date means, right?"

_What? _

"It means that we're in a relationship now and…"

_Go on. _

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Beatrice blinked, was this going too fast? It was only her first date and he was already asking for her upmost commitment. Yet, her heart had been waiting an eternity for this moment and without thinking logically, she looked at their hands before intertwining her fingers between his, silently answering his question with her gesture.

… _Yes._

Embry felt like a weight of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders. All confusion was gone as he took in Beatrice's acceptance. She was his now. His girlfriend_. _His imprint.

_His reason for existing _

A goofy grin broke out onto his face, "You really do like me, don't you?"

"Shut up," she replied, glaring at him with rosy cheeks.

He laughed, feeling happier than he had ever been before. The rest of the date passed by pleasantly, between some chit-chat and another round of Beatrice feeding Embry her remaining portions. It wasn't until they left the restaurant and reached his car that they realized they had been holding hands the whole entire time.

* * *

><p>Embry followed Beatrice to her house, smiling.<p>

She was trying to open the door with her keys but she kept fidgeting. She was nervous – it was time to say goodbye.

After prying open the door she turned back to Embry, who was leaning against the wooden pillar on her front porch. Her heart stopped; he looked gorgeous.

"This is it Bee, our first date is over," Embry whispered, stepping closer to her.

She leaned back into the door, "Y-yeah, I suppose."

They stayed silent, secretly tempting each other to make the first move. After a few minutes, Beatrice gulped. Her hands found the handle against the door, all she had to do was turn it and she was safe inside. Safe from her overwhelming feelings and lucid thoughts.

Embry sensed her retreating and quickly took the few steps needed to close the distance between them. He leaned over to her ear, asking, "Can I kiss you goodnight?"

Everything around Beatrice stopped. The only thing she could hear was her rapid heartbeat and his breath, as it shifted from her ear to across her cheeks…

Closing her eyes tightly, her hands found their way on his chest, stopping him from planting his lips onto hers.

_Wait! _

Embry paused, watching her tense up. His lips were practically at the corner of her mouth, close to sweetness.

She let out a sigh of relief before realizing the position they were in. She looked at Embry, who was so close that she could see the specks of gold lingering in his green eyes. Her hands clenched onto his shirt, frozen.

Embry looked at her adoringly, watching her confused reactions and blushing cheeks. Apparently he had the same stunning effect on her as she had on him. Unable to resist himself, he placed a slow, sweet lingering kiss on her cheek instead.

Beatrice remained petrified as she watched Embry walk off without saying a word. His goodbye was still burning her cheeks. After a few seconds, she managed to move herself into the house before collapsing.

Her hands covered her mouth, shocked.

_He almost kissed me_

Unable to breathe, she sat there. Replaying the moment over and over again inside her head. Oh god, Embry Call was driving her head-over-heels crazy. And to top it off, he was now officially her first boyfriend.

* * *

><p>AN: I know, it's been a while. And you've probably noticed that updates won't be on routine basis anymore. Frankly, I'll try to update when I have time but sorry for suddenly leaving this story at a crucial point. Writers block is never fun.

But hopefully this update was worth the wait and don't worry, they'll kiss…eventually.

And yes, thank you to all who mentioned Beatrice was supposed to be a vegetarian :P clearly, I have forgotten that fact and will now announce that Beatrice is officially _NOT_ a vegetarian anymore. Sorry if that offends anyone and forgive me for being a forgetful writer. I'll try harder from now on to pay attention to close details.

And lastly, thanks to any new readers who have found and reviewed this story. It means a lot.

So, review because it's my birthday? Seriously, it's my birthday today :D Anybody else born on December 7th? Let's be birthday buddies.

Review, review, review!


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